Luna (A HuntxMC story)
by fioreariadne1
Summary: Luna is intended to be a complete series of a unknown number of chapters based mainly on the characters Thomas Hunt and MC, which I named Luna, of the game Hollywood U. I want to cover the whole story from its beginnings, allowing the reader to have a greater understanding of the personalities and actions of the main characters.
1. (1) Thomas

**This is a little insight on the Thomas Hunt character, starting at a young age and establishing his actual birth date. I plan to write a long story with several chapters. I have several small ideas of where I want the story to go, but I'm not sure of the actual length. I adore Thomas Hunt's love story with MC, so the whole story will be revolving around them two at one point or another. I don't like the idea of naming my character "MC". I need to put a face, a personality, spirit and sentiment to the MC character so I just had to give her a name, sorry if this annoying for anyone. Also, please bear with me, English is my second language and I have never written stories in English before, sorry if my grammar is incorrect at times. I hope you all enjoy, any comments or suggestions are more than welcome!**

 **Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

She was everything he once used to be and more: young, joyful, passionate, caring and playful, with a promising career that was skyrocketing and thriving with life. He remembered what it felt like; it wasn't long ago after all. He appeared to be much older than what he really was, ever since he was a kid. Born on 1980 in a November's cool and frosty night, he's fate was sealed. Being the oldest of three brothers and one sister, with a father who was a coward and left his mother heartbroken, emotionally unstable and unavailable for a long time, he was forced to grow up too early. He did remember what it felt like to be happy, though, but it was so long ago that it was more of a distant haze than a memory.

Even when almost nobody knew or could even imagine, he remembered the first movie that he ever saw and how he felt vividly: _Back to the future_. It took time for him to grasp the concept, but when his father left he understood it immediately. Even the title sounded alluring, just imagine such a wonderful scenario, where he could go back in time and fix everything. Fix his parents' relationship, change how he viewed life and the complexities that come along with it… how he wished he could go back in time to where his father and his mother were in love and everything was pure happiness, how he could go back and maybe meet Yvonne in that bus stop. May be his life wouldn't be so empty and he'd still be directing, writing and acting. On the other hand, he realized that those hard times were what gave him his strength, courage and determination. Cinema was his passion, his drive. No one ever was more meaningful to him than his career, not even Yvonne… and she was the only regret he had in life, the only "What if", at least up until that point.

 _Yvonne_ … for Thomas that name was synonymous with Love for a very long time. He could not imagine true love beyond Yvonne, and it's not that he did not try, but it was just something impossible. Marianne was perfect, _too perfect actually_. His relationship with Marianne always had to be planned; every place, every date, every conversation, every feeling. It was more like a habit. He did appreciate her deeply as a friend, but it was never love. Then there was Priya. She had the same ideas as him, the same passion not only for cinema but also for teaching, and a deep sense of justice. She was a righteous woman. He respected her greatly and trusted her. There was one time when he even considered marrying her, but quickly realized that it would be more for convenience, stability and all the wrong reasons than for actual love. Although he was certain of her love for him, he believed that Priya deserved true love, which he could never offer to her. So he let her go, even when she was reluctant and never really accepted their break up. Then there were countless other women: gorgeous and talented models, actresses, film makers and fashion designers. However, after a few days or even a few hours, he always and willingly ended up in the same place: _alone_. He couldn't help it, _what was the point of pretending something that just wasn't there?_ He was better off by himself than ending up with someone that made him feel even more alone, if that was possible.

The first time he saw her enter his classroom he couldn't help thinking how beautiful she was, it was almost an exaggeration. There was something about her, he couldn't figure out exactly what it was that felt so heart-warming, so natural and spontaneous. He soon realized that those qualities were a doubled-edge sword. _She was too natural, too spontaneous_ , something that he greatly appreciated but also loathed, strange but _true_.


	2. (2) Luna

**Here's some background information on the MC character. As I mentioned in the last post, I just felt the necessity to name her in order to give her a face and personality in my imagination, sorry again if this is a disappointment for anyone but please feel free to imagine your character instead of mine. Enjoy and any comments or suggestions are always welcome!**

 **Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

Luna is the name that her parents chose for her, which meant "moon" in Spanish, and just like the moon she was alluring, mesmerizing and mysterious. Since the moment she came into this world she was loved. She was all the reason and life for both her father and mother. Her father always talked about how he felt the moment he held her in his arms, and since she first remembered he always used to say: "Since the moment I saw you and held you in my arms I knew you had my heart in your tiny hands forever, the single most important thing in my life; you're my princess and always will be until the day I part this world, Luna". In that moment he understood what pure love is. Her mother was her friend, her confidant and the only thing that could bring her down to earth when she needed it, her honesty was sometimes a little too much but necessary.

She had a younger brother, Leo. Although they fought since he could speak, they adored each other and he always looked up to her. Her parents were sweethearts in high school and stayed together all through college. His father was an Engineer and her mother an Art instructor at a Texas state college. At a very young age Luna demonstrated to have an above average sense of self, intelligence and great artistic and language skills. She excelled at everything she did since a very early age. She started to walk and speak at an earlier age than most kids, her mother started to teach her how to properly draw and paint when she was 3. She loved to play piano and sing. However, the thing she enjoyed the most was directing, she loved to tell people what to do after all. She remembered vividly that the first thing she asked for in life was a video camera when she was 5 years old. The moment she put her hands on the camera she felt something especial, almost out of this world. She was always recording, wherever she went and whatever she did. Her obsession was such that she often got in trouble at school for recording her classes and class mates. It was fascinating to her parents all the things she could achieve and really appreciated and encouraged her stubbornness to a certain extent, as they believed it was her drive and key to success. Little did they know…

She was 8 years old when one day she rushed back from school and ran towards her mother. "Mom! Mom! Guess what?! I know what I'm going to be when I grow up!" she screamed excitedly.

"What's that Luna?" replied her mother with a broad grin.

"A movie director and writer, and I'm going to be an actress too!"

"You _do_ understand that in order to do all that it takes hard work, right?!" answered her mother narrowing her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I _do_ know!" Luna rolled her eyes as if her mother's answer was already expected.

" _Good_.", replied her mother not giving it a second thought. "Go get changed and start your homework", she demanded.

"Alright, but you'll see! And when I receive and Oscar and give my acceptance speech I'm going to remind you of this moment." Luna said with a playful, yet challenging tone.

"Yes Luna, I'm sure you will. Now go and do what you've been told to do", said her mother with a determined glare and Luna turned around and walked indifferently to her room.

That was the thing about Luna that drove her mother and several other people crazy, she always shoot so high and sometimes nothing could bring her down, a great quality to have but, just like everything she did, she took it to an extreme.

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	3. (3) Peace Corps - Part 1

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

She was so nervous she literally felt like throwing up. After all, everything happened so fast that she did not even have time to assimilate all the events that have happened the last few weeks. After finishing high school she did not have a plan at all, she was determined to become a director but the economic situation of her parents did not allow her to go to the college of her dreams: the well known and prestigious Hollywood University. Her parents tried to talk her into attending the state college where her mother was an Art instructor; their Digital Cinematography degree was excellent and within her parent's possibilities. Despite all their efforts Luna would not settle for anything less than Hollywood University and her parents knew this.

"And what are you supposed to do while you figure out how to get into Hollywood U? You know we can't afford that school, it's not only tuition but dorm rent, food, transportation, well… everything! LA is _not_ cheap, you know!" said her mother with exasperation.

"I'll figure it out, don't worry about it." she responded nonchalantly.

"No Luna, I'm completely fed up with you and how you think life is so easy. You have to plan things ahead you know, not just expect them to happen magically."

"Well, just like the great John Lennon once said " _Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans_." Luna grinned.

"Arghhh! I'm done trying to put some sense into you. You are not going to be lying around the house doing nothing, either you come up with a plan by next week or you register in the state college and start going through some basics at least, and I really mean it Luna" her mother gave her a cold glare.

"Okay, then this is what is going to happen, I'm going to join the Peace Corps" she replied with a defiant look.

"Whaaaat?! What do you mean? Where does this come from?! You have not ever talked about Peace Corps nor show any interest in that." said her mother in disbelief.

"Well, obviously you don't know me as well as you think Stella" Luna replied and turned her attention back to her laptop.

"Stop calling me by my name, don't be disrespectful. And you know what, if that is what you want then fine, may be that is what you need to stop taking things for granted. Life is not easy Luna, and you are going to realize that one day. Hopefully your stubbornness doesn't get you into too much trouble or pain" her mother replied calmly as she walked out of the room.

Luna watched her mother walk out and thought about her words for a second. May be she was right. _What if things don't go as I think they would?_ She thought, but quickly disregarded that thought as she opened the e-mail she received a week ago.

"Thank you for your interest in Peace Corps. Although our organization is based on seeking people mainly with Bachelor's degrees there are some exceptions. The amount of extracurricular activities, charity, volunteer work, community service and skills that you have is utterly impressive. We are very interested in the fact that you are fluent in several languages other than English, especially Spanish, since our current projects involve countries like Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and other several Spanish-speaking communities. We would love to speak to you about your options, please call for an appointment at your earlier convenience. Please take into consideration that projects close quickly since there is a set limit of volunteers per project. We look forward to hearing from you."

She grabbed her cell phone, hesitated for a second but dialed the number listed in the e-mail. A friendly voice answered and she felt something that she can't quite define, one thing was for sure, she was happy.

Her father was devastated when he heard the news. When his wife told him about Luna's plans he was somewhat worried, after all Luna always (well, _almost_ always) got her way, but he did not think that Peace Corps would actually accept her; they needed knowledgeable people, not a kid that just graduated from High School, she was barely going to turn 18 in a few months, for god's sake! What were they thinking?! But then a sudden thought came to him: maybe he underestimated his own daughter. She was amazing after all. She knew even more things that him and his wife, they taught her well. She knew from welding to sewing, was an amazing cook, and thanks to her grandfather she even knew about construction, plumbing, electrical; and nevertheless she was stunning, knew how to dress, apply makeup, had impeccable taste, was feminine and, well, just gorgeous … was there something she couldn't do?! Her father had to accept that his little and perfect princess was a woman, eager to live and deserved all the happiness in the world, he had to let her go.

"So, where and when are you leaving?" he asked with a sad look in his eyes.

"Mexico, December 3rd." she replied looking at his father and feeling her heart shrinking.

"What?! No! The day before your birthday?! What about our annual camping? And Mexico?! Isn't that dangerous?!" he exclaimed in disappointment.

"We'll have to do it before, I guess. And I'm sure it's not as bad as people make it out to be, plus I'm sure Peace Corps takes good care of their people, I'll be fine."

"Well, yeah… I guess. You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you princess" he said, his voice breaking.

"I know Daddy, me too. I already miss you. But we still have a couple of months to enjoy ourselves before I go. What if we go camping, all of us, every weekend! It'll be so much fun" she said, trying not to think about the pain of not seeing her family for what looked like an eternity.

"Sure princess, that _does_ sound like a lot of fun, I'm sure your mother and Leo will love the idea."

And so, it was one of the most fun summers they ever had, a summer she would often remember when she felt alone or sad.

It's been 4 years since that. Her parents went to visit once a year for a couple of weeks, but it was never enough. Initially she signed up for a 2 year project but she was so useful and made such a difference in her community that Peace Corps offered her another project. She loved what she was doing and how it felt so much that she did not hesitated in accepting even though it was a 4 year project. While in Mexico she made several short films and won a couple of local film festivals. Each short film only made her fall in love with the film industry more and more, to the point that she was convinced that after ending her program with Peace Corps she will pursue directing, a dream that she was sure will become true one day. Half way through her project, she received one day a mysterious letter that did not have a return name or address.

"You don't know who I am and at this moment you don't need to know. Your accomplishments have impressed me and although I'm not exactly a philanthropist I do believe in helping out people that deserve it, even for my own interest. I'm full aware of your potential and I am quite fond of your short films and enjoy your directing style. As you already know, Hollywood University is the best university to go for Cinematography and Production and attending there will guarantee you unimaginable success. I can make that happen. However, you need to conform to my demands, which I assure you are not hard to follow. The first thing is you quit Peace Corps, opt out of your current project and come back to the United States. Further instructions will follow."

Luna was shocked. She ignored the letter, but kept it. She wondered who would do such a tasteless joke, but for the next 2 weeks she couldn't help to think about it every now and then. One night when she returned to her house after a long day another letter without a name was waiting for her underneath the door. She picked it up and wondered if it was from the same person as the one she received before. She sat down on the foot of her bed and starred at the white envelope wondering if maybe this wasn't a joke after all. What would happen if it was real? Could she leave her project, which she loved and was completely committed to? She couldn't possibly do that to her community, she had 2 years left to complete the project, that wasn't even an option. But, what about her lifelong dream? Could she give that up? _There has to be another option, I will never, ever betray myself and those who believe in me,_ she thought.

With a little bit of fear she opened the envelope and read its content.

"I gave you two weeks to think this through. Attached is your plane ticket. You have exactly one week to make arrangements, quit the project and return home for 2 weeks until the next semester starts. Your tuition and dorm fees will be paid as soon as you arrive home. A new debit card will arrive at your house with your monthly allowance, which will be deposited every 1st day of each month for the amount of 3,000 dlls for your personal expenses. Since you've been away for so long you need to be presentable for Hollywood, your debit card will have 10,000 dlls when it arrives so you can buy clothes, make-up and everything you find necessary to look impeccable. If you do not board the airplane I will assume you reject my offer and there will be no further contact between us."

Luna was speechless. This was obviously not a joke, along with the letter there was a real plane ticket. _This can't be happening, what am I supposed to do with this? I can't leave, I won't._ She thought. She closed her eyes, took the plane ticket and without thinking she tore it. She knew that she was going to regret this decision, but her commitment was bigger than her and her desires. _I'll figure it out later, I will be a movie director someday, but not at this price._ She said to herself.


	4. (4) Peace Corps - Part 2

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: slight language.**

"WHAT?!" screamed her project coordinator and friend, Lorena. "I can't believe you are thinking in rejecting such an amazing offer!" said Lorena with wide eyes.

"I don't even know how legit this offer is. What if I accept, drop the project here, go home expecting a full scholarship and it's just a joke?" said Luna.

"Well, the ticket is here and it looks real, you still have four days to decide. You have to take risks sometimes, don't you? I've heard that phrase directly from you in more than one occasion. As your project coordinator I can tell you that you can turn in your letter of resignation and you'll be on your way back home. You already have all your vaccines and paperwork from your last contract. Nothing bad will happen Luna, you already did what you came here for, to help. This community is better and is in great part thanks to you, you should be proud of yourself. Now is time for you to help yourself and achieve all your goals." said Lorena trying to convince Luna.

"I don't know… there's too much to do left. These past 4 years have been the most exciting, productive and constructive years of my life; I love this community and all the people here. I'm not sure if I'm ready to let this go" Luna's big hazel eyes filled with tears. "And if I accept all this stranger's demands from the beginning he'll think he has control over me, which nobody has in the world BUT ME!"

"That's true, but at the end of the day you are the one with the final decision. If his demands become too exaggerated you can always refuse and you still got to know that world that you have always dreamt of… It's a tough decision that only you can make. I just don't want you to feel that you have an obligation with this community. The only obligation that you have is towards you and your future. Take these next three days off, think about it. I'll take charge of everything around here." Lorena smiled and hold Luna's hands. _She is a good friend,_ Luna thought.

The next three days were kind of a haze. This was, hands down, the biggest and most important decision that she encountered in her life. Her heart was in that little community in Central Mexico, but her future, all her life-long desires and dreams were in Hollywood. She couldn't sleep at all that third night, tossing and turning she made her decision.

"Here's my letter of resignation." She said to Lorena, placing the document on her desk.

Lorena looked at the document, then looked at Luna and smiled. "I knew you were going to do the right thing Luna, I sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart that you find exactly what you are looking for, and I KNOW that you will achieve all your goals, I feel so proud that I got to work with you, that we became friends and I'm so proud of YOU" both friends smiled and hugged. "Now let's go to your going away party"

Luna stared in confusion at her friend "My what?!"

"You heard me! I knew that you would make the right decision and eventually accept the offer, so I told everyone in the community that you were leaving" She giggled "Although everyone was sad by the news, once I told them you are going to Hollywood to become a movie director they were thrilled and wanted to organize something for you! Now, let's go!"

"You have no idea how I'm going to miss this place and every single one of you!" she thought about all the experiences, both good and bad, how this place had changed her. She remembered herself before coming here. She was a spoiled and over-protected brat that thought the world was easy and happy. It was only when she saw that community's poverty, how much they struggled to survive that she finally understood how incredibly lucky she was. And despite their poverty they were happy; they cared deeply for one another and help as much as they could anyone in need (all of them at some point).

The going away party was the perfect way to say good bye to Mexico. There was music, dancing, laughing, joking, and of course, what seemed like an interminable supply of Tequila and Mezcal. A little before ten o' clock Luna's heart skipped a beat when she was _him_ enter through the plain wood door. She was shocked to see him there. He scanned the room looking for her. When he finally spotted her, a wide grin let his perfect pearl teeth show. He walked confidently towards her with his signature penetrating gaze. She thought she was going to faith for a moment.

"Hey stranger! To what do we owe the honor of this visit?" she said jokingly but with an evident nervous tone. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in France finally filming your movie!

"I was, but I came to visit my parents in Morelia and I ran into Lorena in Mexico City's airport. Apparently she was confirming that your ticket was real and well, she told me all about your mystery benefactor and that you were hesitant to take the offer. I'm glad you made up your mind and you're actually going to pursue directing as you always wanted. I assure you Luna, you're going to be big. Hollywood won't even know what hit it!" he said enthusiastically.

"Yup, you always wanted me to get out of this community and pursue my greatest love, directing" she said with a hint of sadness.

An awkward silence filled the conversation. _These are the longest 5 seconds in the history of the universe!_ Luna thought. Luckily, an old jolly man broke the silence.

"Guillermo! What a surprise! What are you doing here? I thought you were in France breaking a bunch of girls hearts! You came back to continue with your documentary? Said the old man with a wide smile.

"Hahahaha just as happy as I remembered you Tata Humberto!" both men hugged and patted their backs in what seemed like they hadn't seen each other in decades. "Well, actually I'm here for the same reason that everyone is, to say good bye to this gorgeous, talented, amazing woman" he put an arm around Luna's shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek, which in return turned to a deep pink color.

"Indeed she is, isn't she? But I haven't seen that shy part of you before Lunita, don't blush, mija!" said the old man teasingly and laughing.

The deep pink turned into deep red in her cheeks.

"Come on Tata Humberto, it's just the Tequila kicking in! Which reminds me, I need a refill… would any of you join me?" she said pointing at both men.

"Of course mija, bring the shots!" said the old man.

"Be right back!" Luna turned around and happily danced her way to the table that served as a bar.

"I can't believe you let that girl go… it must be killing you!" said the old man to the younger, both watching Luna joke around, dance and prepare the shots.

"Everyday old man, everyday… I guess I came back too late…" said Guillermo with a sorrowful smile and a hint of grief in his eyes.

"Yup, you're an idiot, deal with it" said the old man turning around and patting Guillermo on the shoulder.

"More than an idiot Tata Humberto, I'm a huge, unbelievable, gigantic, pathetic dumbass" said the young man with a self-punishing tone. Luna turned her gaze feeling Guillermo's stare, she gave him a warmhearted smile. He felt even more miserable.


	5. (5) Peace Corps - Part 3

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: slight language.**

"So… do your parents know about this whole Hollywood/Benefactor deal?" asked Guillermo as he stared into the moonless sky, admiring the beautiful firmament. Both Luna and Guillermo had left the party and walked to a nearby hill.

"Nope… I already know their answer, my mom's at least… _Are you crazy? What are you thinking? You don't even know this person, blah, blah, blah_ " she said, imitating her mom's tone.

"Hahahahahaha that sounds exactly like her, and she'd be right" he turned and looked at her somewhat afraid of her response.

"Yes, I know… but what else am I supposed to do? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I can't let it pass me by… Just following your example, you know" her big eyes kept looking at the brilliant stars without meeting his eyes.

"You're never going to forgive me…" It was more a statement than a question.

"There's nothing to forgive, you did what was best for you and I respect that, I honestly do. Now is my turn. I don't understand you, I'm doing exactly what you always wanted me to and now you act like I'm some kind of irresponsible teenager doing crazy things. When you left you did not look back, nothing mattered to you, not even this community that according to you was "the most important thing in your life", not even your family that needed you, and you took advantage of every opportunity and everyone that was there to lend you a helping hand. You're not better than me; don't pretend that you always do the right thing".

There was so much resentment and sadness in her words, that Guillermo was speechless. Almost immediately Luna kind of regretted her words, not the content but the way she approached it. It was too late, the harm was done and now he knew how she felt, the one thing that she always tried to hide even when he broke her heart in a million pieces and left. There was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to go on forever. She did not know what to do or say.

"Sorry, I guess I drank a little too much" she finally said.

"You should never apologize for telling the truth" he said with a sad look in his eyes.

"Oh no, I'm not apologizing for what I said, just for the _way_ I said it" Luna flinched at her own words. _Again, really? Just shut your mouth!_ She scolded herself.

"Hahahaha you're never gonna change, I love that about you, you know?" he said, looking at her with adoration.

"Well, that's the thing with me, what you see is what you get, and the way you treat me is how you're gonna be treated back" she said with a small smirk in her face.

"That's just not true, you're so much generous, noble and self-less than you even realize" he said, taking a step towards her and grabbing her hand. She felt electricity passing throughout her body just by the touch of his skin. It was so overpowering that she felt light headed. It was exactly what she had dreamed almost every night for the past 2 years that she literally thought she was having a hallucination. He leaned towards her, so close that both were inhaling each other's breaths, without their mouths touching. She felt like her complete body was on fire, it was just too much.

She backed off and looked directly into his eyes. "I don't know what you're trying to do but you should know that whatever it was that we used to have is now lost, _forever_. There's no turning back. There are certain things in life that you can't ever get back, and in this case they're the love and trust that you threw away and underestimated. When you left I was miserable for so much time and for so many reasons and I can't go through that again"

"You're right, as always. But one thing that you forgot to mention is that you still love me and I still love you too, so much Luna that it hurts" he said with a sincere sorrowful tone, caressing her cheek.

"Yes, that's true. Maybe I'll always love you… or maybe not. But love wasn't enough for you then and love isn't enough for me now. One thing is for sure, I'll never forget you. Have a good life Guillermo"

Luna took his hand, pressed it against her cheek with adoration, turned around and walked away, not looking back. Guillermo stood there, not being able to move or say anything, watching in disbelief how the love of his life walked away from him. He knew her too well, there wasn't anything in this world that he could do or say to get her back, not at the moment at least. Only time could help his cause. So he just accepted his reality and let her go.

Luna entered her room, and lay down on her bed looking at the ceiling. This was the hardest test she ever had to face. All her heart wanted to do was to run to him and never let him go again; but her dignity and self respect won, so she stayed there until her alarm started to buzz. Time to go and start a brand new life in Hollywood U.


	6. (6) Home

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: slight language.**

Luna wanted to fully surprise her parents and did not let them know she would be arriving home that day. She took a cab outside of the airport and headed home for a 2 week stay before finally going to Hollywood University for the next 4 years of her life. She was nervous just thinking about it, everything happened so unexpectedly and fast that she was just really thinking about it, and the more she thought about it the more nervous she was getting. Finally, the cab parked on the side of the curve in front of her house. It was a regular Sunday afternoon; her parents were on the garden in the back taking care of their flowers and different kinds of herbs and veggies. They were chatting as usual when their conversation was suddenly interrupted.

"Wow, you guys are doing a great job, I don't remember the garden being this beautiful" she said with a huge grin on her face.

Her parents stopped immediately as soon as they heard the familiar voice.

"Luna?! Is that you?! What happened? What are you doing here?!" asked her mom in disbelief. Her father just stood there not knowing how to react.

"I thought you guys would be happier to see me than that…"

Both parents ran to hug her, her mother with tears in her eyes.

"I can't belief you're here baby! We missed you so so much!" said her mother with the biggest smile on her face. "But tell us, what happened, why are you here? Is there something wrong? Did something happen?"

"You have no idea mom… come, let's go inside, I have a lot to tell both of you." They looked at each other with curiosity and concern, and followed her daughter inside.

After a few hours of explaining everything in detail, from the mysterious letters to the offer, how she hesitated and even about Guillermo's visit, her parents were so surprised that they didn't know what to think.

"But Luna, why did you accept such an offer? You don't even know this person, what are his true intentions, what does he want from you? Hollywood U is a very expensive school; no one throws away that kind of money in someone they don't know just for the sake of it. I know that you are an adult capable of making her own decisions, but that might be dangerous. I'm not sure I like where this is going baby" said her mother with her usual worrying tone.

"Mom, don't you think I've thought about that? I've considered all the possibilities, and this is a risk I'm willing to take, I have little to loose and everything to gain" she replied determined. Her parents saw this and knew her daughter well enough to understand that she was going to go through with this, there's nothing they could do but support her.

"Princess, all we want is for you to be happy and safe. Just promise us this, if at any point you feel insecure, threatened or just don't want to keep going, let us know and we'll go for you anytime, you have a family that is going to support you and protect you till the end" said her father, expecting her answer.

"I promise Dad, you know I can take care of myself, and I know I can count on you… but let's speak of something else… where's my Leo?" Luna looked around searching for her younger Brother.

"He went to the movies with his girlfriend"

"Girlfriend?! What are you talking about? He's too young to have a girlfriend" Luna has always been very protective of her young brother, to the point that she forgot he wasn't a kid anymore.

"Luna, he's 16 now, you act like he's 5 years old and that you forgot what it was to be 16" her mother replied with a smile. "You were worst!".

"Well, that's just not true, and for me, he'll always be my baby brother… I gotta meet this 'girlfriend' of his, what's her name, by the way?"

"Ashley, she's very sweet and appears to be a good girl, nothing to worry about"

"Humm… we'll see…" Luna was skeptical.

A couple of hours later his brother arrived with his girlfriend Ashley, both joking and laughing, while Luna and her parents were on the back having a cookout. Leo searched for his parents all over the house until he heard laughter outside. They headed out to the back patio and he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his sister flipping burgers on the grill.

"Luna?! Is that you?! What, whe, why are you here?!" Leo was so excited and surprised he didn't know what to say.

"Missed you too bro" Luna replied jokingly.

She threw the spatula on the table and ran to hug his little brother. She missed him so much she could hardly believe she was there hugging him. After a long hug Luna turned to her brother's girlfriend and gave her a measured look, she was always, like her mother said, overprotective towards his younger brother, and this time it was no different.

"I'm Luna, Leo's sister… and you are?" Luna asked with a defiant look.

"Hi! I'm Ashley, nice to meet you! I've heard so much about you!" replied the younger girl with an innocent tone of voice.

"I wish I could say the same, but I did even know of you existence"

"Luna… behave" her mother warned.

Suddenly, the mood of the room changed from happiness to awkwardness. Leo was very happy to see his sister, but that was over the top and Luna could see it in his eyes. She was very bold and sometimes talked without thinking, which was often a problem. She knew she had to fix the situation.

"Sorry Ashley, it's been a long trip and I'm kind of exhausted, I apologize if I made things weird" her excuse was not very convincing but Ashley decided to let it go.

"No problem, I understand" she said in a neutral tone of voice.

"Good… so, let's go ahead and eat while the food is still hot! Come on Ashley, grab a plate and I'll tell you all kind of stories about these two" their father, as always, rescued the whole situation with his witty sense of humor.

They enjoyed the evening eating, talking and telling jokes. Steven, Luna's dad, was making everybody laugh while Luna and her mother enjoyed a few bottles of wine. Luna still had her doubts about Ashley, but too decided to let it go and just enjoyed the evening. It was around 11 pm and time for Ashley to go, not before helping Stella clean up the table. Leo and Luna were left alone for a few moments.

"Luna, what's gotten into you? You can't come here and be all control freak over everyone's life" Leo sounded pissed.

"I'm sorry bro, it's just that the news took me by surprise. You didn't mention anything about her in any of your emails, so I was just surprised"

"So? You didn't tell me about you coming back"

"Well, it was so sudden I didn't have time, not even to think"

"Well… there you go, I didn't have the time either" replied Leo coldly.

They were interrupted by Ashley.

"Are you ready to go, babe?" she asked.

"Sure… I'll be right back, 'mom'" he said sarcastically, referring to his sister.

Luna and Ashley said their good byes and Luna watched her little brother walk away. It was shocking to her that he behaved that way, even if she was the one over the top. _Wow, things have changed,_ she thought.

She went back inside, grabbed another glass of wine and sat in the couch next to her dad.

"I missed you so much daddy" she said, cuddling next to him.

"And I missed you too princess… But so much has changed around here baby, you can't come and pretend no time has passed since you went away. This is the first time in 4 years that you are back, and even though we visited you, things are not the same, be more understanding with your brother, it was very hard for him when you left. He struggled a lot and now he's finally starting to go out and have friends. Just be more considerate"

"I know Daddy, I know I was out of line, and I apologized. I just love my brother very much and would hate to see him suffer" there was sadness in her eyes.

"Well, that is part of life Luna, without suffering there's no way you can appreciate happiness" her father didn't speak much, but when he did, he was always right.

"Yes, that's true" without saying anything else, she lay on her father lap and quickly fell asleep. Just like when she was a child, her father carried her to her bedroom, which was exactly the same way she left it.

Days passed, Leo quickly forgot the incident with his sister and they both just enjoyed each day, talking, watching movies, going camping, and even getting to know Ashley, which was much better than what Luna thought. The two weeks she had before going to Hollywood U quickly passed and it was time for her to go… again. She was very sad, but she remembered her father's words, everything had indeed changed. Although she will always love her family and her home, she did not belong there anymore. She sat down in front of her vanity set, the same vanity set that she used to play when she was a child and gave herself a long, measured look. She didn't know where her place in life was, yet, but that wasn't it and never would be again. She went downstairs with her luggage: 3 big cases were everything she had in the world that belonged to her; she was going to start a new life.

"Mom, dad, please sell everything in my room and do with it whatever you want" she said determined.

"But baby, that's your room, and it'll always be" answered her father confused.

"Don't worry Luna, we will" said her mother with a small smile on her lips.

Luna's relationship with her mother was weird; they fought a lot, maybe because they were so alike. But there was something between them, some sort of unspoken communication, and her mother just _knew_ what she was talking about and feeling. She knew that her daughter was not planning on coming back, ever. She stepped out of her home, that place that saw her grow and where she was so happy. She turned back to see it one last time, and it was so beautiful she just knew she would always remember it with love and happiness, and a little sadness.


	7. (7) Going to California

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: slight language.**

Luna woke up to a familiar song that was playing on her cell phone, "Going to California" from Led Zeppelin. She always loved this song. Ever since she was a little girl and her father used to listen to Led Zeppelin in his studio while reading or playing the guitar, but at that point it felt different, like it was the first time she was hearing it. She looked over the window and saw what seemed to be a billion tiny stars. Suddenly, the flight assistant announced that they will be arriving at Los Angeles city airport in the next few minutes. She looked at her cell phone and it marked 9 pm, LA time. She turned off airplane mode since the flight attendant gave the signal that it was safe to turn cell phones on. One new message arrived as soon as she received a signal, "There's a driver waiting for you outside of baggage claim, he'll be taking you to your dorm and you can initiate the admission process at the university first thing tomorrow morning. Everything is already paid, just show up, do some paperwork and they'll give you your schedule. Remember, I don't expect anything less than excellence". It was obviously a message from her mystery benefactor. She couldn't help to wonder who her benefactor was every time she thought about him/her or received a message or letter from him/her. Her imagination run wild thinking about the possibilities, could it be a famous person? An unknown millionaire relative? Was she being punk'd? What made her so special that she was chosen for this opportunity? She let her mind wonder while watching hypnotized the infinite Los Angeles lights.

She waited until all the passengers aboard left the airplane and walked straight to baggage claim. She was the last one to claim her baggage, the place was surprisingly empty. Suddenly, she saw a man 3 bands away from her, dressed in an elegant all black suit. She couldn't help but watching more closely. He had raven hair, soft looking skin, big gray eyes and a more than perfect chiseled-jaw line. He was incredibly handsome. He was looking at his cellular phone with a deep scowl, writing something faster than the speed of light. The moment she laid her eyes on him, something odd happened. She felt a strong connection to this person that she didn't even know. Granted, it had been a day full of mixed emotions, but this sensation felt very different from the rest. _Why does he look so familiar? Where have I seen him before?_ Luna wondered. He must have felt her gaze, because a few moments after he lifted up his eyes from the cell phone and looked directly at her. The feelings she was having intensified in that second. She felt like there was nothing else in the world but the two of them for that moment. He kept looking at her for a few moments and then looked down again at his cell phone, grabbing a small suitcase and walking towards the exit. She watched him for a moment and then grabbed her baggage and also walked towards the exit. The one thing that she missed was that the moment she was grabbing her baggage, the man turned around to see her, obviously intrigued.

As soon as she left the baggage claim area there was a chauffeur with a small sign with her name on it. She searched for the handsome man she just saw on baggage claim but there was no trace of him.

"Hi! I'm Luna Armstrong". She greeted the man with the sign.

"Hello Miss. My name is Arthur. I have instructions to take you to your dorm in Hollywood U, it's not that far from here" replied the man with a kind smile.

Luna and Arthur walked outside of the airport and towards a black limo that was parked in front of the entrance gate.

"Wooow, are we riding in _this_?" Luna couldn't hide her surprise.

"Yes, Miss. My boss can be pretty generous to people who he beliefs have potential"

"Well, that works well for me!" Luna grinned as she got inside the exclusive car. She looked through the window and saw the mysterious man from baggage claim get into a breath-taking red sports car. She had the same feeling as before, a feeling of actually _knowing_ this person, it was something that she had never felt before and being the way she was, she was going to find out who he was one way or the other. The limo started to move and she lost sight of the man. She started to examine the inside of the limo. There was a flat screen television and a bottle of champagne chilling inside a bucket. "Oh my god, is this Dom Perignon 2003 Rosé? This stuff is like $300 bucks!"

"Yeah, well, as I mentioned, my boss can be pretty generous"

"Would you like some?" Luna made a gesture pointing to the bottle. The man chuckled at the childish expression.

"No, thank you Miss, I'm working and I'm driving, that is not safe at all. But help yourself; my boss thought you might be a little stressed after your trip."

"Oh man, you don't know how much! This is perfect!" the young woman grabbed the champagne bottle and opened it in a quick, skillful movement. She poured the bubbly liquid in a flute and moist her lips with the delicious liquid. "Ahhh… now, this is what I call living the good life!"

She was so nervous about everything that had happened the last few weeks that she finished the whole bottle in no time. Her alcohol tolerance was pretty high, so she blamed her anxiety for her drunken state. Arthur and Luna had a warm chat about everything that had happened to her the past weeks. Arthur was so amused and entertained by the young woman that he extended the ride to her dorm and took her on a tour around Hollywood.

"Arthur… have you ever felt like you are not yourself anymore? Like you're becoming a different person and you don't even know who that person is?" Luna asked the man while looking outside the window, mesmerized by the beauty of Hollywood.

"Sure Miss Luna. I believe that's what happens when your life changes from one day to the next, when you leave a stage of your life behind and move on"

"Yeahhh, that's so true! I like the way you think Art! I need to do something wild! Like, get another tattoo or a piercing or… That's it! Dye my hair a different color, what do you think?" she asked the driver with a childish smile on her face.

"Hummm… I don't know miss, you are really gorgeous just the way you are. You have beautiful brown hair, you shouldn't mess it up" Arthur looked back at her through the mirror.

"No Art, it'll be fun. Here, Google says that there is a beauty store very close from here. Can you take me?" Luna had a mischievous grin in her face.

"Hummm… sure Miss, but maybe you should think a little bit more about it"

"Nothing to think about Art, sometimes you just have to do whatever is on your mind without any regrets. It'll be fun! Let's go!"

The man smiled at the young woman and drove to the beauty store. She got inside while the man waited for her outside next to the limousine. After about 20 minutes she got out with a large bag filled with several products. She got inside the limo and started to take out different boxes.

"Pink!" she shouted cheerfully. "I'm gonna dye my hair pink. I always wanted to but never really had the guts to do it, so this is the perfect opportunity"

"I really think you should reconsider, Miss. I have no doubts that you would look very pretty but…"

"But nothing Art! It's done! I know I'm a little tipsy, but I know what I'm doing. Can you take me to the dorm? Can't wait to do this!"

"Sure Miss." Replied the man with a calm smile.

They drove for about 15 minutes when they arrived at the directors' dorms. Arthur handed her dorm key to Luna and carried her luggage inside.

"So, you're home now Miss Luna. Good luck with your classes. If you need anything please let me know, here's my card, just call and I'll be here ready to take you wherever you need to go. Your benefactor asked me to remind you that you need to be presentable at all times, therefore you should buy a new wardrobe with the money he gave you. It was a pleasure to meet you, I'm sure you'll take Hollywood by storm" the man offered Luna his hand. Instead, she gave the man a warm hug. The man surprised at first, hugged Luna back and gave her a tender smile. She reminded him of his own daughter.

"Thank you Art! I will" she smiled at the older man.

The man turned around and left. Luna began a tour of her new home. It was a very comfortable, roomy two bed-room apartment, a bathroom in each room and a third half restroom. A small yet well equipped kitchen and a living room with an enormous glass window that connected to a small terrace with a breathtaking city view. _I wonder if I have any room mates_ , Luna thought. She peeked inside both bedrooms, although everything was tastefully furnished, there were no clothes in the closets or sign of them being occupied. Both rooms where exactly the same, so she choose the one furthest from the entrance door. She went into the bathroom and started to take out the boxes out of the shopping bag. She looked at herself for a moment in the mirror, and reassured herself "No _regrets, no hesitations_ ", she said to herself, and started to dye her hair pink.


	8. (8) Hollywood 101

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: slight language.**

 _This school is huge; I'll never find my classes on time,_ Luna thought standing in the middle of one of the university's patios studying a university map that she grabbed from the admissions office after completing her registration and getting her schedule. She must have looked so lost that a blonde girl felt a little sorry for her, obviously she knew the feeling.

"Hey… I recognize that lost puppy look! You must be a new student here at Hollywood U! My name's Addison…" the young, blonde woman said with a gentle smile.

"Hi there! Is it that noticeable? Hahahaha My name is Luna, it's very nice to meet you Addison! I just finished my admission process and honestly I didn't think Hollywood U would be this big! It's ridiculous how big this campus is!"

"Hehehe well yeah, it is after all and without a doubt the best school for acting, cinematography and fashion majors, and not only nationwide but in the world. What's your major?"

"I'm here to become a director! It's been my dream ever since I can remember" Luna had the biggest smile on her face and her eyes brightened just by the thought of one day becoming a famous director.

"Well, that's the spirit! Trust in yourself and you're half way there! So… what classes do you have?"

"Mmm… let's see, according to my schedule my next class is with Professor Hunt, Hollywood 101, Building F"

"Really?! That's exactly where I'm headed, I have that class too!" replied Addison excitedly. "Come on, we better hurry, Building F is a little bit far and we have exactly 5 minutes until the class starts, and Hunt is very, very strict, he doesn't tolerate tardiness at all"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so happy I found you Addison! Thanks!" both started to stride towards their next class.

"I know what is like to be the new girl in this huge school, so don't mention it. Oh, and I absolutely love your hair! You really can pull that pink look off, it looks amazing!"

"You think so? I just dyed it yesterday! I always wanted to but never actually had the courage to do it" Luna giggled.

"I really love it! You made a good choice"

"So… what's your major Addison?"

"I'm a fashion major, going on my second year"

"Cool! This is my first year but apparently I might be able to get credit for some advanced classes that I took in High School, so maybe we can have other classes together"

"That would be awesome. I'll see your schedule once we get to class. We better hurry up or we won't be able to make it and honestly I'm kind of afraid of Hunt" Addison replied with a nervous laughter.

"Really? Is he _that_ bad? Why would you be afraid of him?" asked Luna intrigued.

"Oh, _you will see_. He's one of those people that you have to see for yourself to believe. Don't get me wrong, he's totally hot, like I almost want to cry because he's so gorgeous kind of hot, and I think he's the smartest person in the school, like _genius smart_ , but he's just too harsh it's intimidating, makes you wonder if he is some kind of robot or android or something like that"

"Well, then we better run!"

Addison and Luna started to walk even faster towards their class. Once they arrived they entered a big, opulent theater and rushed to grab seats among the other students. At that moment the teacher had already started to talk.

"This is Hollywood 101. I'm Professor Hunt, and…"

It must have been almost impossible not to notice her, and not precisely because of the bright pink colored hair, but because she was maybe the most stunning woman he had ever seen and he did recognize her from the airport. Hunt stood there in silence while the young ladies proceeded to take a seat. Hunt noticed that he was staring at her and quickly changed his attitude from curiosity to sternness.

"You two, get out." Hunt shouted.

"Wait, us?" Addison replied in surprise.

"Did I stutter? In Hollywood, even being on time is considered fifteen minutes late, and you were even later than that. Out." Hunt looked exasperated.

As soon as Luna paid attention to Hunt she also immediately recognized him. How could she ever forget that jaw line and those gray, intense eyes? She stared defiantly at Hunt and sat down.

"I don't give up that easy, Professor"

 _Who the hell does she think she is?_ _But that kind of passion is exactly what is needed in order to succeed._ Hunt thought and after several seconds he replied.

"Good. Fortunately for you, this is not a movie set. Make no mistake. If you show up late without a recent amputation, you will be fired on the spot. Now don't interrupt me again. Now then. This class is about exploration. Each week, you'll have the opportunity to collaborate with your classmates from every discipline. Because while you may think you understand your craft, while you may _think_ you've got what it takes to make it here… you don't. Not yet. Okay, that's enough pep talk. Your homework tonight is to find a partner. Your first assignment begins tomorrow, bright and early" Hunt focuses his icy eyes on Luna. "And if I were you, I wouldn't dare be late".

Hunt walks off the stage and while everyone is pairing for the assignment, Luna turns and whispers to Addison.

"Wow, is that guy always so friendly?" she said sarcastically.

"Told you! Hunt is very difficult, but he's equally smart. He wrote, directed, and starred in all his stuff. He is the youngest person ever to win Best Director, after all"

"Ohhh, that's why he looked so familiar at the airport!" Luna suddenly remembered him and his well known career.

"What? What do you mean?" Addison asked with curiosity

"Yeah, I saw him yesterday at baggage claim when I was arriving here. He was waiting for his luggage too and texting like he wanted to murder his poor cellphone. I knew I had seen him somewhere, he looked so familiar!"

"Well, how can you ever forget that stunning face?" Addison turned to look at Hunt with dreamy eyes.

"I guess… but if he's God's gift to humanity, what's he doing teaching a bunch of newbies? What happened to his brilliant career?" Luna tried to appear like she was not interested, even skeptical.

"Careful, Luna. Thomas Hunt is a skeleton key. He can open all sorts of doors for you in Hollywood. You really, really want to impress him. So, wanna be partners for the assignment?" Addison smiled.

"Sure, it's like you read my mind, I was about to ask you!"

Both girls started to talk and giggle while Hunt sat at his desk with his characteristic scowl. _Oh, how I hate a pretty face with attitude! These juvenile wannabes are certainly going to be the end of me. They think they'll have everything because of their good looks forgetting what's really important, talent and tenacity._ Hunt thought and shook his head breathing a loud sigh. Luna turned her head and for a second their eyes met. Hunt quickly lowered his gaze to a small pile of papers in front of him.

A few weeks after the new semester started, Hunt was seating at his desk in his office grading some papers. It was getting late but with the amount of work he had to take care of he didn't have time to notice. It was very quiet, something he greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Suddenly, he was startled by a loud knock on the door, causing him to lose his concentration.

"Proceed!" Hunt commanded.

"Thomas, we have a problem" Priya entered the room with an exasperated expression.

"Oh my god, please let's not start, it's been barely 2 weeks since the start of this semester" Hunt was starting to lose the little patience he had left. Semester starts always gave him a daily headache. All those students not knowing how to behave and how he liked the work to get done had him in a permanent sour and irritated condition.

"Well, apparently we have a troublemaker that doesn't seem to understand how to conduct herself, and guess what… she's a scholarship student"

"That's just what I needed!" Hunt replied ironically. "Who is she?!" he asked with icy eyes

"Let me see..." Priya opened a folder that she had in her hand and started to look for a name. "Luna… Luna Armstrong" she raised her gaze at Hunt.

"I knew it! I knew she'll be problems since I saw her!" Hunt banged his fists on the table and got up in a quick motion. "What did she do?"

"She got into an argument with Bianca Stone and apparently spilt a drink on Bianca and tried to attack her at a club. You know how Anders Stone gets when Bianca goes crying to him, _she_ makes _his_ life miserable and _he_ can make _our_ lives miserable if he wants to" Priya sighed, frightened at the idea.

"I'm not afraid of Anders…" Hunt stared at Priya with determined eyes.

"Well, maybe you should… you know he's powerful and very resourceful, don't underestimate him" Priya advised.

Hunt thought about Priya's words for a second and changed the topic. "When are these students going to understand that we, the teachers, are not here to play all that Jerry Springer non sense, we're here to _educate_ , that's all, why is it so difficult to understand? I refuse to get involved in this matter, look for someone else or do it yourself Priya" Hunt warned.

"Thomas, I'm sorry but this situation involves you directly. You are the Associate Dean of the Film Production College of Hollywood University. It turns out that this student is enrolled as the director major, so _you_ have to deal with it. Besides, in case you don't remember I'm on sabbatical, I can't get directly involved since I'm here just doing my research. They just asked me to talk to you because, well… everybody is terrified of you, even the Dean refuses to discuss these matters with you directly and I'm the only person in the school that you at least listen to" Priya replied annoyed, crossing her arms.

Hunt fixed his eyes at her and finally sighed, defeated. "Fine! What do you want me to do?" He always felt like he owed Priya something, not actually knowing what it was, maybe that's why she was one of the few people he actually respected.

"I believe that is your call as well."

"Okay… but how true are these allegations? Bianca Stone is honestly a spoiled brat that shows no consideration at all and would do _anything_ just to get her way. Obviously we can't take action without confirming the veracity of these claims"

"Bianca has witnesses that backup every word that comes out of her mouth"

"Let me guess… Lance, Jenni and Shae" Hunt rolled his eyes.

"Ho, How do you know?" Priya asked surprised.

"Those are her minions, everybody knows that; they're always sucking up to her and doing whatever she wants… I don't trust neither of those three" Hunt narrowed his eyes and looked at Priya "But yes, Luna is quite an agitator and very hard headed, she has this attitude that can either make her o break her. She's very annoying and I'd rather not have her in my class if she's going to continue with this behavior… but, in all honesty she's very capable and I see a lot of passion and potential in her, I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt"

"If that's what you consider best, but you have to apprehend her somehow, set an example. I'll leave that to your good judgment; whatever you decide please do so by tomorrow".

"Okay, since you leave me no other option, I will… Anything else?"

"Schoolwise… that's all. Hummm… but I was thinking, would you like to have dinner with me sometime? Are you free tonight?" Priya went from being the authoritarian teacher to a nervous high school girl that could barely talk to her all time crush in a matter of seconds. Her tan color cheeks turned red and her gaze went straight to the floor. "I-if you're free, of course… I-I just want to talk to you… about us, I really, really miss you" Priya flinched at her own words.

Hunt watched Priya closely for a minute. She seemed so fragile, so grief-stricken that he felt sad for her. He remembered their time together. It was a very positive and respectful relationship, he really enjoyed most of the moments they were together. She was deeply and madly in love with him and he knew it; that was the main reason of their break up, he could never reciprocate her love. He could not stand the idea of not loving her the way she deserved, even though he did not, and couldn't ever love her the way she wanted, he did care for her. She was an amazing woman after all. However, the reality was that he had to keep his distance for her own good. If they were to resume their relationship, she'd certainly get hurt again.

"Priya… we've talked about this. Please, just leave things the way they are, I don't want to ruin our friendship" Hunt's eyes softened.

She knew the answer to her question from the beginning, it's always been the same one, but she naively thought he might change his mind someday.

"Yeah, I get it… no need to bullshit me" her gaze hardened "Please reprehend the student by tomorrow and let the Dean know how did you penalized her, excuse me" Priya turned around and left surprisingly fast. Hunt stood there without words, every time this happened it broke his heart a little.

 _Why can't I love her the same way she loves me? She would be perfect for me, we are so alike, we are friends, and she's beautiful, educated, loving, caring, smart and I care for her so much… but… it doesn't matter how much I try I can't love her. Being with her without loving her would be the greatest act of cowardice, and I refuse to be that, I'd rather be alone my whole life._ Thomas thought in silence in the emptiness of his office, which was a reflection of his heart.


	9. (9) Probation

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: language.**

"Luna, I can't say that I'm surprised to see you here under these circumstances. If you aren't certain which of your escapades has landed you in front of this committee, allow me to fill you in. According to Bianca Stone, you accosted her last night at a club and threw your drink at her." Hunt's glare was cold and distant.

"What?!" Luna wide opened her eyes.

"That's right. Luna was so violent! Honestly, I don't even feel safe standing here right now" Bianca whined.

"That's not exactly how it happened" Luna shrugged in disapproval "I accidentally bumped into her and spilled my drink. But it was unintentional."

"I'm glad you've at least admitted to the incident occurring. Now, listen carefully: I'm only going to say this once, and I don't want to be interrupted. Understood?" Hunt's gray eyes were like two daggers waiting for the slightest provocation to attack.

Luna studied Hunt's expressions. Her lips pursed for a second but then she thought _"Poor guy, he really takes his job very seriously. You really, really need to chill, dude"_. In that moment she offered a sarcastic smirk and replied. "Crystal clear, _professor"_

"This kind of attitude will not help you get _anywhere_ around here " Hunt hissed "Now, Bianca has several witnesses who have supported her claims that not only was intentional, but that you were aggressive and physical during the confrontation." Hunt frowned. "Though it didn't happened on campus, we take these matters very seriously. As a student at Hollywood University, your actions reflect on this institution. Starting today, we're putting you on probation. By the end of the month, the board will need to see that you've completed at least three high-profile projects, and you'll need three industry professionals to vouch for your character. One step out of line in that time, and you'll be expelled. Now, go and don't make any more mistakes, you're on very, very thin ice. Now, out!" Hunt warned, one hand pointing at the door.

Luna flinched for a second but quickly stood straight and lifted her chin up. She turned to Bianca and gave her a dirty look, while Bianca was smirking victoriously. Then she turned her gaze to Hunt with a grimace. Luna and Hunt locked eyes for several seconds. "Y _ou're not going to budge, are you Hunt?"_ Luna thought while narrowing her eyes. Luna turned around, walked to the door and slowly closed it behind her. She knew that she had lost this battle, it was better to stay quiet and leave. " _But the war is barely starting"_ Luna thought to herself.

She found Ethan outside the meeting room and filled him in on their way back to her dorm. Luna and Ethan met the second day of school, thanks to Addison. They became very good friends since the beginning, and although it has only been a couple of weeks, it was an instant connection. They worked very well together, understood each other and had very similar points of view. They quickly arrived to her dorm, entered the building and went inside the elevator.

"I can't believe that the committee just ate up everything Bianca said! What happened to innocent until proven guilty? They didn't even give me a chance to explain **my** side of the story" she crossed her arms in exasperation.

"Well, they kind of gave you a chance to redeem yourself, and I hate to say it, but this doesn't surprise me. Bianca's dad has some serious power around this town, and you, my friend, are now on his bad side." Ethan put his hand on Luna's shoulder.

"Yeah, well, he's about to- Hey, check it out!"

On the floor outside of Luna's dorm was a letter with a familiar wax seal. Luna tear open the letter and started to read it aloud.

"Luna, probation isn't the most promising start for a rising star. Another mistake could be the end of your career. Thread lightly". She sighed, scrunched up the letter and threw it on the floor. Walking towards the couch, she turned around and threw herself into it "Just what I needed, my career is almost over before it starts because of that fucking spoiled brat… I can't believe it Ethan!" her eyes turned watery, but she hold back her tears.

"Sorry, Luna. It doesn't sound like we can count on your benefactor. We're on our own to fight this probation" he sat next to her, taking her small hand on his "But we're gonna get through this, you'll see." she gave him a small smile.

"Where do we even begin? I need to start a project right away if I'm going to _even_ have a shot at staying here…"

"'If?' What kind of quitter talk is that? You're here to stay."

"You know what? You're right! I can't let Bianca win! This is the opportunity that I've been waiting for my entire life and I'm not about to throw my dreams in the trash because of that airhead brat. I'm going to show her and everyone... (" _especially that stubborn, egocentric Professor Hunt", she thought)_ that I have what it takes to be here" her eyes radiated her now signature sparkle.

"That's the spirit! Now put your game face on... I've got something in the works that should really help your rep around here. Plus, remember that mention in PerezHilton about you and Chris Winters hanging out last night"

"Do you mean the one where they mentioned me as the "no-namer"?

"Yes, that one! Always remember, any publicity is good publicity. It's good to be seen with a heartthrob like Winters, it puts your image out there… Okay, it's a deal then, you put your soul and heart into this and I'll arrange everything. I'll be here at 7 am sharp, be ready!" Ethan jumped out of the sofa and smiled.

"Will do! Thanks Ethan, what would I do without you? In this little time that we've known each other you've become my savior and friend, and I'm very grateful, really" she offered a dazzling smile.

"I know, you really are a handful, but I have a good feeling about us, so we gotta stick together no matter what. See you tomorrow kiddo!" he walked happily towards the door, well aware of how much that word annoyed Luna.

"Oh no, you don't get to "kiddo" me Blake, you're not even a year older than meee!" she grabbed one of the sofa's colorful puffy cushions and threw it across the room, missing her target. Ethan cracked a laugh and continue his way to the door.

"and you throw like a little girl, see you tomorrow, _kiddo_!" he smirked and closed the door behind him in a quick movement. Luna smiled and nodded her head, she did enjoy Ethan's company tremendously. But her smile quickly turned into a frown when Hunt crossed her mind, something that she noticed, was happening a lot lately.

" _What is his problem with me? Usually he's an ass to everyone, but he criticizes everything I say and every step I make. These past 2 weeks have been hell, always watching me and scolding me, like he's just waiting for me to fuck up to get me expelled, but I'm not about to give him that satisfaction…"_

She stood up, walked towards her room and turned on her computer. Opening her music library, she searched for one of her all time favorites, Rush, pushed the "play" button and got to work. She needed all the help she could get and she was open to suggestions, but brainstorming was always more of a relaxing past time than an actual chore. Hours passed quickly and by the time she noticed, it was already 3:52 am. Exhausted, she rubbed her eyes and yawned. It had been a long and tedious day, but an equally productive one: she realized how things worked in Hollywood, who has the power and how does it work, and most importantly, the awareness that she had a lot to learn. She refused to be bullied and humiliated just because she was not born into "Hollywood royalty". And Hunt, if he thought that assigning those projects to her was going to get her expelled from the University he had another thing coming. She loved challenge, she thrived on it, _keep them coming Hunt,_ she thought with a smirk on her face, then laid down and without noticing, fell deeply asleep.

She was walking towards a big lake, the full moon lighting the entire landscape giving the feeling of daylight. A flute could be heard from the distance while a cool breeze touched her cheeks carrying the heavy scent of the damp soil and rain, filling all her senses with comfort and peace. She could hear his voice calling her, she could almost smell his cologne mixing with the freshness of the night, but he was nowhere to be found. She wanted to scream his name, but the strangest thing happened: she couldn't remember it. Something broke inside of her and suddenly, she felt free, liberated, limitless…then she opened her eyes. Normally, this recurring dream _**did**_ have a name which she yelled in her dreams every time without an answer and the waking part...the waking part was always full of anguish and desperation. However, this time was completely different. This time she was not scared, nor sad, she was happy, alive and full of dreams and ambitions. The only name she could remember was her own.


	10. (10) Lisa's Video - Part 1

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **A/N: This chapter was starting to get a little long and out of hand so I decided to split it into a two (probably three) part chapter. Chris Winters makes an appearance and starts to show interest towards Luna. We see a new side of Hunt which isn't as perfect as usual. I want to thank all the people that took the time to read my fanfic and reblog it on Tmblr, it's feels awesome to know that someone out there likes what I do, thank you and I hope you enjoy this long ass chapter! :D**

 **Warnings: language.**

Sunday morning. As the large numbers on the alarm clock turned to 6:00 am, a loud sound begin to beep. With a quick movement, Hunt reached the snooze button, hoping he could get at least 10 more minutes of sleep. He had always been a night owl, finding the night more relaxing and productive. Last night was no exception, he graded papers and essays while enjoying several glasses of scotch until 2:00 pm. It had been by far the most relaxing day he's had in months. Three hours of sleep was good enough for him. He had always suffered from insomnia since he could remember, so he was already used to it. But every now and then, specially after several months of not having enough sleep, he always ended up exhausted, and unfortunately this was one of those times that he wished he could sleep for at least 18 hours straight.

He went back into a deep, dreamless sleep, where all he could hear was an obnoxious "beeep, beeep, beeep" sounding in the background. After hitting the "snooze" button countless times, he opened his eyes and lazily turned his confused gaze to the alarm clock. 7:45 am. _"Fuck, I overslept!"_ he thought. Jumping out of bed, he ran into the shower and turned the cold water on. " _Nothing better to wake up than a cold, refreshing bath"_ he thought. He was supposed to be at Chris Winters' Malibu beachside mansion at 8:30 am for the shooting of Lisa Valentine's music video. He was in charge of all of Luna's probation, therefore, he was required to be present through every single step of each project, including scripts, organization, direction and filming, and approve them.

There was no way he'd make it on time, and he knew it, but he hated being late more than anything so he gave it a shot. He took a quick shower, got dressed into a gray Armani pinstripe suit, white dress shirt and burgundy tie. He was "ready" in record time. 8:15 am, well, as ready as he could be within 30 min. Taking his keys, he ran through the door, quickly entered his sports car and drove to Chris Winter's mansion.

Ethan and Luna arrived with plenty of time at Chris' beach house followed by Lisa Valentine and Addison. The crew and extras were not there yet, so they decided to enter the mansion and say hi to Chris. They approached the intercom on Ethan's Porsche and he ran the bell. Chris' voice answered on the other side.

"Hello guys! Great to see you here early!" he greeted happily.

Luna smiled. "Chris... uh, how can you see us?" she turned her head from side to side confused.

"Security cameras gorgeous!... I can even see you blushing all the way over here! Haha, come on in you guys! Mi casa es su casa, I'll open the gate in a minute" Luna's cheeks were bright red.

Ethan smirked in a teasingly manner. "Oh my god, you're in big problems kiddo... Winters' fans are going to **hunt** you down and eat you alive!"

"Shut up Ethan! Just drive and be quiet" Luna rolled her eyes and gave Ethan a look that frightened him a little bit.

"Jeeez, chill Luna. I'm just kidding"

"Yeah, sure. I know what you're thinking and it's NOT happening. I've told you, I refuse to take advantage of someone else's fame for my own benefit"

"I know Luna, sorry... It's just that being friends with the right people is always a good thing, specially when you're on the spotlight"

Suddenly the gate doors opened and Ethan drove the car through a lengthy driveway that led to the mansion's main entrance. The mansion was like a dream. Exotic, beautiful flowers, fruit trees, what appeared to be a natural cascade pouring into a crystal clear pool, and peacocks walking elegantly across the bright green grass. Luna could not hide her amazement. This was exactly the type of mansions that you see in the movies, the ones that you fantasize about but you can't actually imagine yourself inside one in real life. The front door opened and Chris emerged with a bright, dazzling grin. He opened the passenger's door where Luna was sitting and offered her his hand. She smiled as she extended hers. He took it gently and placed a soft kiss in it, his penetrating, deep blue eyes staring profoundly at hers, sending an electrifying wave across her spine.

"I can't believe it! Every time I see you you get more beautiful, if that's even possible"

"Oh Chris, stop it! You're going to make my face turn as red as a tomato!" Luna's whole face was getting redder and redder by the second as she offered a flirtatious smile.

"Sorry beautiful, but I can't help myself, it's just the truth" He kept on smiling as he helped her get out of the car. They were quickly approached by Ethan.

"Chris, my man! Thank you for lending us your pad, we owe you big time!" Chris and Ethan greeted each other with a familiar handshake and a quick hug, both of them smiling.

"No problem Ethan, it's my pleasure... Ohhh man, and look who do we have here, the dashing Lisa Valentine and the lovely Addison Sinclair!" Lisa approached them excitedly and threw herself at Chris. He was surprised but hugged her back in a friendly way.

"Oh my god, I can't believe I'm in front of THE Chris Winters, and in your beach house! I'm a huge fan! I've been meaning to meet you, but you're always so busy" Lisa smiled at Chris.

"Yeah, most of our shootings are overseas, so I don't get to spend too much time in the States. But I'm here now and you're my special guests for the day. Come on in, the breakfast will be served shortly" the handsome movie star opened the doors to his mansion and everybody was astonished. The mansion was even more beautiful inside that what they had imagined. White marble walls adorned with tasteful paintings, perfect wooden floors still holding its original Macassar Ebony scent. And in the center: a grand, opulent stairway with a beautiful handrail adorned with delicate metal leaves and flowers.

"Oh my god, this handrail is gorgeous! Look at the craftsmanship! Whoever welded this is a genius, you can't even tell where one metal starts and where the other ends..." she touched it like it was gold. Luna was more excited over the actual metal and workmanship than the rest of the expensive objects and the magnificent house. Chris was intrigued by this, even more than by her physical beauty, if that was even possible.

"Okay, don't be weird Luna... Chris, please continue with the tour" Lisa turned her eyes to Chris and watched him sensually.

"Uhhh... sorry Lisa, but shouldn't we wait for the crew? They need to be here also, plus Hunt is supposed to be arriving soon too... what time is it, anyway?" Lisa rolled her eyes while Luna reached for her cellphone inside her purse. "It's 8:35 am, and he was supposed to be here at 8:30 am! What happened to all the ' _In Hollywood, even being on time is considered fifteen minutes late'_ bullshit?!" said Luna impersonating Hunt's signature scowl and low voice.

"Hahaha... as much as I love the way you mimic Hunt every time, he's technically our superior, if he's not here we can't go through with the video, at least not for school credit for your probation, so If I were you I'd be praying for him to arrive, late or not" Ethan crossed his arms and looked at Luna.

"Wait, are you under probation, Luna? What happened?" asked Chris concerned.

"Uhh, it was a silly accident that almost costed me my scholarship, I'll tell you about it later" Luna's cellphone rang. It was Sid, the head of the crew, calling to let her know that they were outside. "Okay, the guys are here. Once we place all the equipment we are starting exactly at the scheduled time, not a second later, and I'm not waiting for ANYBODY" she turned to Ethan and warned him. "and that includes almighty Hunt"

"But Luna, if he's not here this project won't count towards your probation,and this is HUGE" Ethan protested.

"Exactly, and that's why we're not waiting for anybody! Chris was kind enough to lend us his house this one time, and the crew, extras and equipment are already paid for, so I don't care about that stupid probation, we're starting right in time and that's it. Chris, can you please let my crew in?"

"Sure Luna... but if you need to postpone you may use my house as many times as you need, don't worry about it"

"Thanks Chris, but my decision is final. Ethan agrees with me, we are all professionals here, aren't we Ethan?" she smirked and turned slowly to look at Ethan, in response he shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever you say Luna, it's your project. I just hope that you know what your doing..."

"Oh, believe me, I know. Okay, let's start then!" Luna clapped excitedly and Chris let the rest of the crew and extras in. The crew quickly set all the equipment and they were ready to start right in schedule, at 9:00 am sharp"

Hunt drove as fast as he could, but Chris' mansion was more than 50 minutes away, plus he was stuck in traffic. He thought about calling in the moment he woke up but he didn't have anybody's number. He just had the piece of paper that Luna wrote with Chris' address on it. He was so bothered with himself for being late. He wasn't like that, he was the person that was there at least 15 minutes before, and even then he considered being barely on time. He was disappointed at himself and tried to relax listening to music. Finally, he arrived to Chris' mansion at 9:20 am. _"Almost an hour late, unbelievable",_ he thought. He rang the intercom's bell and waited. No response. Rang the bell again, and again, no response. He turned off the radio and he could hear music coming from the mansion sounding loudly. _"Did they start without me?!"_ , he thought. He was shocked. Even though he was late, and boy did he hate it, they were supposed to wait for him. He got out of his car and peeked through the wrought iron gate. He could see a bunch of people hanging out by the pool and in the beach but nobody could see him nor hear him. He was furious. He didn't know what to do, nobody was answering and he couldn't call anybody. 9:45 am. He was in the verge of insanity hearing everybody scream and laugh, _"this isn't what a serious production is supposed to be, this is so unprofessional, oh, but she's going to hear me, that stupid, stupid little know-it-all brat"._ In that moment the gate opened and Chris' stunning car appeared in the driveway, which was big enough for both cars to be side by side. Chris drove and stopped right by Hunt's window. He turned off the car and exited the vehicle to greet Hunt.

"Professor Hunt, long time no see! How have you been?" Chris offered his hand as he greeted Hunt. Hunt gave him a measured look and greeted him back.

"Mr. Winters. I've been pretty good, thank you. The only inconvenience is that I've been out here for almost half an hour now, and I see that they started the shooting without me" his tone was calm yet annoyed.

"I'm so sorry professor, they were expecting you but then decided to start filming, you know, time is money in this business. Please come on in, I gotta head out for just a little bit, I have a meeting but I'll be back in a couple hours, but please come on in and make yourself at home"

"Thank you, I appreciate your hospitality." Chris smiled friendly at Hunt, entered his car and quickly disappeared as he drove away. Hunt rolled his eyes, there was something about Chris that he disliked. He represented everything that was wrong with Hollywood. The problem was that even when he respected him as a person, he did not respect him as an actor. Hunt entered his car and drove towards the location of the crew and extras. He was furious but he knew that he had to control his temper, he admitted that he was at fault for arriving late, but Luna knew very well that she had to wait for him. He was scanning all the people around him with fierce eyes, looking for the pink haired know-it-all "director". After several minutes, he saw her talking to one of the extras, giving instructions on what seemed to be a stunt scene.

"Where's Crash? Has anybody seen him?" Luna shouted.

"May I ask who is this 'Crash' person and what are you doing filming without my consent?" Hunt's steady yet menacing voice made Luna stop what she was doing and slowly turned around to face Hunt with a big smirk.

"My my my, look who we have here, "Mr. I'm never late". Crash is my stunt actor, we're almost halfway through the shooting, but of course you don't know that because, well... you were in fact... _**late.**_ " She was savoring each one of those words with a shameless grin.

Hunt could feel his blood boiling through his veins. What infuriated him the most was the fact that she was **right** , and he was **wrong**. He didn't know what to say, he had no actual excuses and he felt small and stupid.

"Well... for your information I've been outside waiting for you imbeciles to open the god damn gate, but you're too occupied in stunt scenes that you did not even bother to search for me" It was a pathetic excuse and he knew it, but that was the best he could come up with.

"Oh, please stop humiliating yourself like that, it's kind of sad" she was at the point of almost laughing in his face "have some pride and self-respect and admit you're the only one at fault, _professor_ ". She sneered and crossed her arms.

Hunt was completely speechless, he had nothing to defend his cause. He just stood there, watching Luna closely, analyzing her. " _Isn't she afraid of me? Who or what does she think she is to talk to me that way?"_ he was more curious than angered at this point. He always prided himself in having the ability to easily break and reduce people to tears in a matter of seconds, but this time it wasn't working. _"Maybe I need to try harder with you"_ , he thought.

"Well, late or not you were supposed to wait for me and you were well aware of that fact", he shot back, crossing his arms as well. Both Luna and Hunt were staring so intensely at one another that it seemed like they were about to kill each another. Everybody noticed and now they had their own audience, who were watching them anxiously. Luna stood her ground and continued to smirk, she was obviously not backing down.

"Oh well, I was just being a good student and following your own teachings, professor"

"If by that you mean being disrespectful, impetuous, and ungovernable I'm afraid you're wrong, I'd never teach that in my classroom." Hunt retorted.

"Oh no, I'm talking about the first lesson I ever received from you. Tardiness is completely and utterly unacceptable, under ANY circumstance" Luna emphasized the word "any" while poking Hunt with her index finger in the chest.

Hunt's eyes were now like two fire balls about to explode and Luna couldn't be happier. Ethan quickly intervened and stepped in the middle of the two. Judging by the look in Hunt's eyes, he actually feared for Luna's life.

"Okaaay, professor, the good thing is that you are here and we're here. Would you please consider watching the footage we have so far later and continue with the shooting? This is a huge project that we planned for Luna's probation, please regard all the hard work that's been put into it." Ethan grabbed Hunt by the shoulder, both men walking away from Luna. As Ethan tried to convince him, Hunt turned his head sideways to look back at Luna, who was at the same time watching him,arms still crossed, standing in an arrogant stance and mocking smile.

"Blake, I am your professor and superior in this shooting, you all respond to ME and no one else. I don't have to explain myself to any of you and my lateness is not an excuse for you to start without my direct supervision. You are students at Hollywood U, and every project that you make is linked to our institution. I refuse to be mocked and disrespected like this, I demand an apology from your so called director immediately or I'll walk away from this project" Hunt challenged.

Ethan felt like his back was against the wall. On one side was Luna, which was not only her client but her close friend too, and on the other he had Hunt, which was his teacher, superior, and most importantly, had the power. He felt bad but it was in everybody's best interests that Luna apologized to Hunt so they could just move on. He sighed and nodded to Hunt and began to walk towards Luna with an apologetic look on his face.


	11. (11) Lisa's video - Part 2

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: language.**

 **A/N: I'd like to thank for all the feedback I've received, it's really encouraging to hear that someone out there enjoys what I have on my mind and takes the time to read and review, now I know what it feels like and I'm so greatful! Guest: I'm so horrible in that I don't know how to reply to reviews. I've looked everywhere but can't seem to find how to reply :'( I'm so sorry, but I read every review, comment and message I receive, please don't think that I don't care, I really do and I get so happy whenever I receive one, so keep them coming! :D**

 **I live in El Paso, TX, and in case you don't know about this side of the world the heat can get pretty horrible during these months, last week it went up to 107! I'm always tired and since I have my own business (I make shirts, stickers and other things) business has been slowing down so I've been working extra hard, leaving me almost no time to write. Hopefully it'll get better these coming months. But from the bottom of my heart I'd like to thank every one of you who takes the time to read this fanfiction, you guys are the best, keep supporting the fandom and all the amazing writers out there!**

"Luna... Please, reconsider what you are doing. Hunt's already here, we can continue with the video, everybody can be happy and move on. Don't mess the whole thing up just to give Hunt an unnecessary lesson, he's not going to stop being the arrogant, egotistic person he is" Ethan whispered in her hear. "He might agree on supervising and approving the project, I know I can convince him but he needs to calm down, and all he's asking is..." he hesitated "well, all he's asking is an apology from you" he cringed at his own words.

"Ha-ha-ha, very funny Ethan. Of course you already knew what my answer would be and you already told him to go home and take a nap or something, right? Cause we don't need him here at all and that's NOT HAPPENING"

"Uh, not exactly. Luna, please don't be so stubborn, nothing good will come out of it. Just say sorry, you don't even have to mean it, all he needs is a little reassurance that he's the one in charge" Ethan pleaded.

"That's the problem, he's NOT in charge and he needs to be well aware of that" Luna continued with her attitude, raising her voice so Hunt could hear her.

Addison approached them. "Luna, what's going on? Everybody's starting to panic, they're worried that you two are going to kill each other any second now."

"Please talk some sense into Ethan, Addy. He wants me to apologize to Hunt,can you believe it?!" Luna laughed mockingly.

"Well, hummm... yeah. Listen Luna, you were kind of arrogant and humiliated Hunt in front of everybody, I told you the first day I met you, Hunt is a skeleton key and he can open a lot of doors for you if you play your cards right. You don't want Hunt as your enemy. Also, think about all the crew, we're halfway through the shooting, Lisa is counting on us. Be smart about it and let's just continue, please" Addy pleaded.

Luna had to admit it, Addison was right. It wasn't in her best interests to start her career by making enemies, let alone an enemy as powerful as Hunt. She was kind of rude towards him after all. She sighed and walked towards Hunt. Her arrogant smile replaced by an apologetic look. She hated it when she was wrong, specially in front of all her friends and crew, but it was her only option.

"Professor... uh..." she hesitated.

"You were certainly more eloquent than _that_ a few moments ago..." Hunt's voice was full of venom as he gave a triumphant smirk.

Luna was about to explode again when she saw Addy's pleading look. She stopped herself, took a deep breath and apologized through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry, OK? Can we just continue with the production?" Her voice low and almost inaudible.

"Excuse, I did not hear what you just said" _Oh, the roles had changed_ , Hunt thought.

"I said I'm sorry for the way I treated you" Luna raised her voice so everybody could hear her.

"And?..." Hunt was watching her expectantly.

"And I was out of line, ok?! Happy? Let's keep on rollin'" turning on her heel she started to walk towards the pool.

"Ahem- I don't think we're done straightening things up Luna. Would you be so kind and inform everybody here who is in charge from this moment on?" Hunt crossed his arms and gave her a smug look.

 _You conceited son of a bitch..._ Luna thought before replying. A fake smile appearing on her face. "Sure _professor_... guys, from this moment on Hunt will be in charge of the video, I'm still the director, but now we're under his supervision" she said loudly with insincere kindness, eyes stabbing Hunt's like two sharp daggers.

Both stared at each other defiantly, both holding a smirk on their faces. Luna broke the eye contact and turned around to keep searching for Crush. Ethan approached Hunt to try to convince him to review the previous footage and count it towards Luna's probation project.

"Please Professor Hunt, the footage that we've recorded so far is really good, I'm completely, 100% confident that you are going to like it, just give us the chance and watch it at least" Ethan tried to convince Hunt.

"I _might_ consider it, but in order for me to even think about it, there are two conditions. If you want me to watch the previous footage Luna will have to present it to me along with a 3,000 word essay about why obedience, respect and modesty are key elements to success. Without those two conditions, forget about the previous footage being considered for the project" Hunt turned his gaze to Luna, who was giving instructions to Crush for the stunt scene.

"You will have both Professor, you have my word" Ethan promised.

"And you better talk to Luna about her attitude Blake, if not you can began to say your farewells to you client because she won't last long in this industry. Now let's go see what new aberration is your so-called "director" up to."

Hunt and Ethan walked towards the pool, where Luna, Addison and Crash were talking.

"Well, um... that's certainly a more epic and memorable shot. But this isn't our house to destroy. It's Chris'" Hunt overheard Addison while approaching them.

"Chris who? Please say flames! PLEASE SAY FLAMES!" Crash yelled excitedly.

"Crash, you're jumping from the balcony. I know we can afford to fix the damages, but we need to play this safe" Luna explained.

"What's going on here?" Hunt's voice rumbled through Luna's head, causing her to roll her eyes before faking a smile while turning to face Hunt.

"We're just discussing the stunt scene. Crash thought that it might be a good idea to do the scene while he's in flames but we think that it'll be safer just to the the scene as he had planned it... can we please move on with you interrupting every 2 minutes?" As Luna started to loose her temper again, she thought about Addy's words and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "If you're unsure of how the script and video have been planned and structured, you might want to give the scripts another look" she suggested in a condescending manner.

"Oh, I completely understand how the video is supposed to be, _I am_ after all a professional, prepared and recognized director." every word that came out of Hunt's lips was full of sarcasm and every intention to offend her.

Luna thought of one thousand things to say back to him, but she just decided to ignore him. The rest of the shooting went very well, and Luna had to admit to herself that with Hunt's supervision, it turned out to be much better than what she actually hoped. It was time to shoot the last scene when Chris arrived.

"How are things going? I'm glad my house is still standing" he teased playfully with a wide smile.

"Of course, I told you I'd take good care of it. I really appreciate the trust you put in me" Luna smiled back and Hunt rolled his eyes.

"No time to waste, we must finish the final shooting before the sun sets" Hunt ordered and scowled.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Chris' eyes brightened. "Want me to cameo? You can show me coming home and seeing these partiers all over my house!"

As Lisa approached them, she overheard Chris' offer and excitedly shouted "Chris Winters showing up in my video? Um, yes, please!"

"You'd do that for us, Chris?" Luna genuinely smiled, softening her eyes.

"Like I said, I like helping out people I believe in. Anything to give you a boost" he locked eyes with her and they stared at each other for a moment.

Hunt furrowed his brow and added "I don't think it's a good idea. I don't think Holly Chang would be thrilled if you deviated from her script"

Luna narrowed her eyes and thought about it for a second. She knew Hunt was right. "Hunt's probably right Chris. I'd love for you to make an appearance in the video, but without Holly's approval we can't go through with it and there's no time to persuade her, I'm sorry" she gave Chris an apologetic look.

"No biggie, I like people with integrity" he grinned as he caressed Luna's cheek. "Dinner will be served shortly, I insist that everybody stays for dinner and I will not take 'no' for an answer"

Luna turned to Ethan and Addison, who gave her an approbative nod. Then turned to Hunt, who seemed distant and uninterested. "Okay, I'll let everybody know that whoever wants can stay for dinner, thank you Chris, I really owe you one"

"We'll discuss your payment options over dinner" he winked at her "See you inside" Chris entered the mansion.

"What an insufferable, self-assured and presumptuous man..." Hunt mumbled.

"Oh my god, look who's talking! You are the living representation of those adjectives" Luna mocked. "Are you staying for dinner? You really don't have to if you don't want to..." she was hoping Hunt wouldn't stay, she had too much of him for one day.

"As tempting as the offer is, I have more important things to do elsewhere. For being your first project it wasn't a complete disaster as I was expecting. Oh, I almost forgot. Since I have to supervise the rest of your projects we'll need to keep in touch to prevent a situation like today's from happening again. Maybe we should exchange for numbers. That's strictly for educational purposes, so no prank calls or anything you may think just to bother me"

"Oh, please. Just like you, I have more important things to do that prank you, Hunt."

" _Professor_ Hunt" he empathized. Both exchanged numbers. He saved her number to his contacts as 'Luna S', and without him noticing, she saved his number as 'Professor Prick', smiling to herself. "Ok then, see you on class, Ms. Armstrong" with that Hunt turned around, entered his stunning car and left. Luna maintained her fixed stare on him as he drove into the sunset.

 _What a weird, eccentric man. I wonder what happened to him that made him so bitter. He acts like a resentful old man and he must be barely in his mid-thirties...Information is power, and finding out more about Hunt will surely be beneficial at some point..._ Luna thought as Addison approached her.

"A penny for your thoughts, Luna" Addison rested her head on Luna's shoulder looking at the same direction as the director.

"I was just wondering about Hunt. He's always so strict, so bitter. I've never seen him smile. If it weren't for pictures on the web with him smiling, you'd think he doesn't know how it works or that he doesn't have the facial muscles for it" Luna joked and smiled. "Do you think he has baggage on him? What could possibly had happened to him to turn him into the kind of man he is?"

"I really wouldn't know, Hunt has always been like that, maybe something happened to him, but it's hard to image something bad happening to someone as gorgeous as he is, who would want to harm such a beautiful man?" Addison sighed.

"You'd be surprised... bad things happen even to beautiful, talented people. They don't discriminate"

"Maybe... why do you care so much about Hunt anyway? I thought you hated his guts"

"I don't care about him, I'm just curious" Luna cocked her head.

"Uh-uh, right. You like him, admit it! I don't blame you, who wouldn't like that precious face"

"I look for something more than good looks in people Addy, so, no, I don't like him at all. It's just that he is a walking mystery. I've never meet anyone as unusual and obnoxious as him. He hides something and I'm going to find out what it is." she gave Addy a determined look.

"Okay Sherlock, whatever you say. Anyways, I'm starving Luna! Let's go inside, pleeease!" Addy pouted her lips imploring. Luna laughed as she reminded her of a little girl.

"Yeah, me too. Let's go, Chris must be inside waiting" Luna grabbed her friend from the shoulder and both started to walk towards the mansion.

"He likes you, you know. Have you seen the way he stares at you? He obviously is interested... but the question is, are you?"

"I don't know. Assuming you're right, I'll be tough to date someone as famous as he is. I mean, I'm a nobody right now. I don't want people thinking that I'm dating him to take advantage of his fame. I rather concentrate on my education right now"

"Suit yourself. If I were you, I'd be all over him right know."

"Well, I just have other priorities in mind right now. Maybe in the future. For now, he's just a good friend" Luna smiled at the thought. She never imagined she'd be friends with someone like Chris. He was everything anybody could dream, but for some reason, she just thought of him as a friend. That was more than enough for her. Truth was her heart was still shattered...


	12. (12) Clash at Sunset

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: language, alcohol references.**

"I understand you have a new project in mind. Tell me more about it..." Hunt gestured Luna to take a seat in the elegant leather chair across from him.

"Clash at Sunset... here's the script" Luna let the heavy script fall right on top of Hunt's desk and took a seat.

Hunt crossed his arms and lowered his eyebrows while he lies back on the dark brown leather chair "I'm assuming you did not write all this script by yourself in a matter of days... Who's the writer?"

"I really wouldn't be able to tell you. It appeared suddenly outside of my dorm. It's an amazing script, I'm sure it'll make a spectacular movie. Holly Chang already reviewed it and she very much approved of it. We just made some adjustments, which are underlined in orange" she opens the script and points to an example of one of the mentioned adjustments.

"I see... but, explain to me, how did you get your hands on this? Nobody just leaves such an "amazing" script for other people without asking for something in return. How do you expect to make a movie without proper permission from the script's author? Unless you prefer to go through a copyright lawsuit for the first time in your life, I bet that would be an expensive and harsh lesson that actually might be necessary in your case"

"Well, actually it wouldn't be the first time that I go through that..." Luna spoke more to herself than actually replying to Hunt. She automatically blushed as she realized she just spoke those words rather than thinking them. He widen his eyes, surprised at the unexpected confession.

"It _wouldn't_? What do you mean?" asked Hunt, raising an eyebrow with curiosity all over his face.

"Oh, don't worry about it. It was something that was actually not worth it, nothing really happened and it's all in the past now. Anyways... coming back to _this_ script, everything is good to go, the author has been compensated and all copyright contracts have been signed. We're good to go." Luna tried to forget the painful memories and hide the sorrow in her big hazel eyes, action that didn't go unnoticed by Hunt.

Hunt was more curious than what he actually wanted to admit. At the moment, he decided to let it go, not without making a mental note to look into that later.

"I think there's more to that story of the script than what you're telling me. Tell me everything you know if you want my help" he demanded.

"All right... long story short: my benefactor. The other day Addison, Ethan and I were at my dorm watching movies when somebody knocked. When I opened the door there was a suitcase with the script, legal documents, a letter and this..."

Luna picked up a brown messenger bag that was resting by her side and opened it in front of Hunt, who was rather unimpressed by the large amount of one hundred bills that were perfectly stacked in several piles.

"Let me guess... this "benefactor" gave you all of this along with a list of actors that you need to recruit for the movie" he answered, bored.

Luna widened her eyes in surprise, followed by narrowing them in suspicion at Hunt's words "Uhhh, yeah... how did you know?"

"Throughout the years there's been several students with this same 'benefactor', you're not the first one and you'll certainly not be the last"

"And do you know who this person is? Is it...uh..." Luna gave Hunt a puzzled look.

"If you are thinking that _I'm_ that mysterious benefactor you're greatly mistaken. If I ever were to do something like that I'd have searched for someone much more talented, intelligent and _obedient_ "

"Please, don't hold back and spare my feelings" Luna said rolling her eyes, voice full of sarcasm.

"If you can't hear a simple truth, then I recommend that you don't waste anymore of your time and most importantly, mine and just leave my office and Hollywood U altogether. This industry will _devour_ you if you can't take plain and simple criticism" Hunt scowled and grabbed the script, giving it back to Luna.

As she received the script back, Luna couldn't believe that one person could make her feel so small and insignificant with just a gaze. Thomas Hunt was the biggest jerk she's ever met _and_ the biggest challenge she has ever had, but she was not about to give up that easily. She remembered how the shooting of Lisa's video developed and she had to admit to herself that without Hunt's sharp eye to details and invaluable experience, things would not had turned out as great as they did. If she wanted to learn more from him she had to play by _his_ rules. She took the script from Hunt's hands and took a long, measured look at it.

"I apologize Professor, it's just been some stressful days. Please take a look at the script for me" Luna's eyes softened as she grabbed Hunt's hand, returning the heavy script back to him.

Hunt flinched at Luna's unexpected contact. Her soft, warm hands felt like silk against his skin. He quickly took the script and placed it on his side. Luna noticed his sudden nervousness with astonishment and fought the smirk that was about to slip from her lips.

"Uhhh… I will. I'll read it over the weekend. In the meantime, go and continue with the casting. Come and see me with the names of the candidates and we'll do a final callback of the characters the benefactor actually lets you pick. Oh, and I need that 3,000 word essay that I asked during the filming of Lisa Valentine's video, I hope you did not forget about it" He was avoiding her stare at any cost now.

"How could I forget? Here it is, and I quote 'a 3,000 word essay about why obedience, respect and modesty are key elements to success', just what you asked for" He turned his gaze back at her and she winked at him. His annoyance was more than obvious and she gave him a small smirk. She loved the way he got all flustered over her teasing and he was extremely irritated at her constant provocations. "Oh, and that presentation you wanted me to do, I have it right here with me" She grabbed an USB drive from her pocket and showed it to Hunt "whenever you're ready I'm too".

"We'll leave the presentation for later, I've had too much of you for one day. Now, get out of my office, I'll have the script ready by Monday" Hunt placed the script aside and pretended to focus his attention on a different pile of papers that were on the opposite side of his desk. Luna just stood there in front of him, watching him closely, a pink strand of hair in front of her right eye. Feeling her stare, he looked at her and immediately waved a hand "Out! You may leave now!" he said with a grimace.

Luna tucked the stray strand of hair to the back of her ear and stood up from the dark brown leather chair "Gladly! See you later, _Professor_ " Turning on her heel, she mockingly saluted him as if she was a Nazi officer and he was Hitler, turned on her heel and quickly left the room.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, annoyed by her childish attitude. He tried to concentrate on the pile of papers in front of him but his gaze kept on turning to the "Clash to Sunset" script. He sighed and finally giving up he took the script on his hands carefully, just as if it were so fragile it could break with any minimal force. He passed his hand on top of the front page cover, a genuine, happy smile in his face. Oh, how he missed this feeling! He loved the way he felt before reading a script. A new idea, waiting to be discovered, ready to become a reality. For reasons unknown, he trusted Luna's judgment. He had an "eye" for talented people. Everybody in Hollywood knew this, from movie producers and casting agencies to celebrity wannabes. She was something else, she was very passionate and determined towards everything that involved film-making. He noticed a fire in her eyes the very first time he saw her yell 'action' in Lisa Valentine's video. There was such hope, excitement and dedication in her eyes that he could only compare it to the way _he_ felt every time he was involved in a film production: alive. Yes, she was something else, something he has never seen, and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. He smiled again and turned to the clock to see the time '5 _:58 pm. I have no more classes for the day, it's a Friday and I have this beauty to enjoy all weekend.'_ He thought as he got up from his chair and walked towards a small bar that was underneath a big window. He grabbed a glass and poured some scotch on it. He looked through the window and saw Luna walking with her friend Addison, both girls laughing and talking cheerfully. He found himself staring at the pink haired young woman. " _How could I not stare, that hair is so pink that you could see her 10 miles away"_ he justified to himself.

He shook his head and return to his chair. He opened the front cover and began to read the first page of the script. Page after page, scotch after scotch he was completely immersed in the story. Eight glasses of scotch later, he finished reading "Clash at Sunset", a smile in his handsome face. He turned to the window and saw that it was completely dark outside. Alarmed he turned to the clock, 1:15 am. _I've been here for almost 7 hours!_ He placed his cell phone on his pocket, took his suit jacket, keys and the "Clash at Sunset" script as he headed out of the building. He placed the script on the back seat of his pristine, luxurious sports car. As he was closing the door, he suddenly realized that he was drunker than what he initially thought. " _Maybe I should call a cab, I can come back for my car tomorrow morning… I'll have to go outside the campus, though. There is no way security will let a cab come in here this late"_ he thought. Actually he didn't mind, he needed a walk to think several ideas that have been going through his head. He started to walk towards the exit of the campus while reaching for his smart phone, opened Google and started to search for the phone number of the nearest cab company. Suddenly, he heard loud music playing from the newly built Pop Star Dorm. He frowned as he approached the building, yelling and laughter turning louder and louder with every step he took.

Ethan and Luna were talking and joking inside Lisa's brand new dorm, both friends with a beer on their hands.

"This party is _huge_ , Luna. It's bigger than James Franco's birthday bash. And even better, everyone's talking about 'Clash at Sunset'. The buzz has begun." Ethan grinned as he took a sip of beer.

"I know! It's crazy, isn't it? Without any efforts and just by being in the right place at the right time our movie is starting to gain popularity and we haven't even started!" Luna was so happy, it all seemed like a crazy dream.

"Told you! In order to become successful in Hollywood networking is **key**! Surround yourself with sexy, beautiful, and rich people and you're all set! Lisa for example. We all know she's loud and wild, but truth be told, she's like a hot party guru. I mean, basically everyone is here. Everyone is hot. And oh my god, _everyone_ is making out" Ethan sudden realization made both friends laugh. They've been so busy figuring out details, talking over the casting and budget that they barely realized the large amount of awkward romantic couples around them.

"This is turning plain creepy and weird, wanna step outside?" Luna asked before drinking the last sip of an uncounted number of beers.

"Sure. I need fresh air. Want another beer?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Luna raised a brow and smiled.

"I swear, if you weren't so hot and cute I would've thought you were a dude. You have the alcohol tolerance of an old German brewer."

"Well, why lie? I _do_ enjoy my occasional glass of beer, or scotch, or wine, or tequila... hahahaha you better go get those beers, I'll wait for you on the terrace"

Luna smiled as she walked towards the two big glass doors. She opened them slowly and walked towards the edge of the terrace, where she leaned against the railing. She couldn't remember the precise number of beers she'd consumed, but she was having a good time and was planning on keeping the party going. Once they started the filming of Clash at Sunset they'll be little or no time for partying. After a few minutes Ethan made his way back through the cheerful people and towards Luna. Ironically, the full moon was resting just on top of her, covering her with an unusual glow. Just like her name, one moon facing another one.

"Hey you… here you go, one beer for the gorgeous lady" Ethan dazzling smile looked even more radiant under the full moon's light.

"Thank you!" she smiled back. "Look at this view, LA's skyline under the full moon's glow… amazing" her former hazel eyes changed to an unusual shade of blue under the moon's light and Ethan couldn't help but to admire her even more. The feelings that he had been holding back overcame him.

"Luna, there's something I gotta tell you. I've been fighting with myself over whether I should tell you or not but I just can't keep it in any longer."

Luna looked at him alarmed. "I really hope you're not dying because you're really scaring the shit out of me, are you ok?" he took her hand in his and delicately caressed her soft skin.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad… I hope. Okay, here it goes… I'm attracted to you, I'm pretty sure you know that. And yes, I also understand that between you and me there is a business relationship. I normally don't date people that I work with, I like to keep things professional; but, even though we haven't treated each other for long I feel this connection between us that I just can't ignore anymore. I find myself constantly thinking about you since the first day that we met, and I was hoping that you would accept to have dinner with me sometime." He was very nervous but showed anything but confidence in every word he spoke. The news took Luna completely by surprise. She knew _he_ was attractive, she knew _she_ was attractive. However, with everything that had happened to her these past weeks, she had no time or energy to think about love. Her mind went blank and all she could do was to take a big gulp of her beer. After drinking about half of the amber liquid, she left the bottle on a small table next to her and started to gather her thoughts.

"Ethan… I… I really don't know what to say. You've become one of my best friends here and I'd really hate it if that changed because of an uncertain attraction. I did not expect this at all…" her cheeks flushed and she lowered her gaze to the beautiful garden in front of the dorm. She noticed that a silhouette was slowly approaching them. Intrigued, she narrowed her eyes attempting to get a better look at the unknown, yet familiar shadow. Ethan noticed her distraction and followed her gaze, slowly releasing Luna's hands, trying to figure out who it was.

"Is that Hunt?" she asked, surprised.

"I really can't tell. I don't think so. It's past 12, I bet Hunt's right now sleeping or grading papers or something like that"

"No, _it is_ Hunt. Look at the way he walks, his posture. It could only be _him_ "

The silhouette starts to faint and eventually disappear as Hunt approaches the lights located in front of the dorm's main entrance. His handsome face can now be seen clearly and he stops right under the terrace where Ethan and Luna were standing.

" _It is_ me, and I'm sorry to disappoint you Mr. Blake, but I do not go to sleep before 12 am nor I spend my entire day grading the atrocities you so call homework. Now, what I don't understand is how you managed to turn this prestigious university into some sort of brothel. Could I please have a word with you Ms. Armstrong?" Hunt crossed arms.

"Oh my god, does he have bionic hearing or something like that? Scary!" she whispered to Ethan.

"I know!" he whispered back.

"Sure! Come on in! The front door is open!" Luna smiled and waved at Hunt.

"If I go in there you can say good bye to your little gathering. You have 2 minutes to be _here_ " his voice low and his index finger pointing right in front of him.

"Oh! What a chivalrous gentleman!" she said sarcastically. "I'll be right down, master!"

Luna smiled and quickly turned to go meet Hunt. Ethan gently grabbed her by the arm. "Hey, do you want me to go with you?" he asked softly.

"I got it, don't worry. I'm pretty sure I can take Hunt down in a heartbeat" She winked at him.

"Hahaha I'm pretty sure you can. Hey, but we still have a little chat pending, just think about it, ok?" He winked back.

"I will" a soft, pink smile decorated her face.

"I'll be with Addison, we'll be waiting for you… now, go! Your time is running out!"

"Shit! Be right back!" she turned around and started to run downstairs. On her way she saw a big cooler that was next to the living room, opened it and grabbed a whole twelve pack of Stella Artois beers. The night was fresh, the lingering smell of rain and wet dirt fulfilling the air; a cold beer sounded like a perfect combination.

"Late, as always." Hunt grumbled, his eyes staring at his clock.

"Oh, come on! It was just like 5 seconds! Plus, I stopped and grabbed you a beer, doesn't that count?" she childishly pouted her lips and handed a cold beverage to Hunt.

"I don't drink with my students" he glanced at the green bottle and then looked at Luna.

"Oh, come on, get off your high horse. I can tell you've already been drinking" she took a small step closing the distance between them and started to sniff around Hunt "Scotch, and… uhhh, what a lovely perfume!" after sniffing a little bit more and lifting her eyes in thought, she added "Is that Clive Christian 1872? _Wonderful choice_ , I must say" she faked a snobbish accent and smiled.

Hunt was mildly impressed. Guessing his signature perfume just by smelling it for a few seconds was pretty strange, especially when the perfume was not a conventional fragrance. _She must know the fragrance from before, I don't think it's a coincidence,_ he thought. "Yes... and exactly _why would_ _you_ know that?" he narrowed his eyes.

"A women should always keep secrets to herself" she flashed him a playful smile. "Anyways... you could say that we are now colleagues, we're going to be working together, so in the spirit of that new and improved relationship, beer?" she offered him the icy cold beverage.

"We are _not colleagues_ and we certainly don't have any 'new and improved' relationship. _I'm you teacher, your my student, that's it_. We'll never be friends and you have a lot to go through to even begin calling yourself a colleague of mine. But we're both adults and tonight is so humid and hot that I'm going to accept the beer" he knew it was wrong to show weakness and to be seen interacting with a student like that, but he blamed his mild drunken state and the high temperature of the night for his imprudence. He grabbed the green bottle and took a big gulp of the refreshing liquid. Luna watched with a grin on her face.

"I just finished reading the script. May I have a word with you? I'd like to discuss some of the ideas and details of the production with you"

"You're _finished_? It's a huge script, it'll take hours to-" realization dawning on her face "You've been reading the script from the moment I left to just right now, haven't you?" she asked, astonished.

"Do you want to hear my opinions or not?" he changed the subject, bothered.

"Sure! Let's go to the next dorm's garden, the music here is so loud we would have to be screaming at each other the whole time here"

"I agree. Be grateful I don't shut down your new friend's little party. I know she can be pretty chaotic, but right now I've got another priorities in my mind. Clash at Sunset really impressed me, I really believe there's a lot of potential in this script" Hunt grabbed the box of beers and followed Luna.

Both student and professor walked towards the next dorm beautiful, well maintained and tastefully decorated garden. It was far enough for the music and screaming to reduce to a minimal level where they could have a normal conversation. Small lights hanging from arc shaped vines, color changing LED lights showing the stone walkway, honeysuckle fragrance filling up the air. Luna smiled as she remembered the day Addison asked her for her help. Addy volunteered to take care of the garden for the whole month, chore that she wasn't qualified to do. Addy loved gardening, but knew nothing about it. She remembered Luna talking about how her grandfather taught her all she knew about plants and trees. Luna offered to help and both girls planted all sorts of flowery plants and several trees all around the garden. Addison received a lot of compliments for their work. Addy giving always Luna full credit.

"The fashionistas did an outstanding job with their garden this month. The other dorms should follow the same example, work harder and take more pride on their gardens, _specially_ the director's dorms" he glanced at Luna and watched her smile turn into a scowl.

"Can't you be civil just for one day? I'm getting tired of you always trying to find ways to criticize me or annoy me" she crossed her arms in exasperation.

"As your professor _it is_ my duty to point out flaws that might prevent you from learning. It's not my fault that you can't handle constructive criticism"

"Oh, I can handle _constructive_ criticism. What you do is a whole new level, you're so overcritical of everything and everybody around you. Relax and stop being so paranoid" she rolled her eyes as she sat down in one of the outdoor chairs. Hunt followed her quietly and placed the box of beers on top of a table right in front of Luna.

Hunt was more surprised than angry at this point. Never in his whole life did he meet someone who had the guts to speak to him like that, especially since he became a Hollywood legend. She was obnoxious, blunt and rude. But she was straight forward and very bold. He liked assertive, assured people, even though he tried really hard not to show it. He knew that those attributes could easily turn into flaws. He took a sit on the chair that was on the other side of the table and took a sip of the amber liquid.

"Fair enough. Let's discuss the script then"

Luna was dumbfounded at how quickly he let go of his annoying self and suddenly became a real professional director. When he began to analyze each part of the script she could see how the expression in his eyes changed from harshness to excitement and warmness. As the minutes passed, both Luna and Hunt were eagerly debating about changes in the script, costumes, casting, and filming techniques. Minutes became hours and after a long, productive discussion both Luna and Hunt were so absorbed by the discussion that they hadn't realized dawn was about to arrive. Without thinking of any consequences, not even contemplating any at all, he relaxed so much that he forgot he was before one of his students, not a fellow director. It has been so long since the last time he remembered having such a pleasant conversation with someone that everything else didn't really matter.

Hunt was talking when Luna suddenly interrupt him.

"Do you hear that?" Luna shushed pointing a finger at the air.

After a short silence Hunt replied. "...I don't hear anything"

"Exactly! There's no more music, no yelling… Oh my god, what time is it?" she suddenly realized dawn was about to take over the cloudy morning sky.

Hunt took a quick look at his fancy silver wrist watch. "5:45 am... I better call a cab and go home. At least we went through most of the details involving the production, so it wasn't a complete waste of my time" Hunt stood up and fixed his tie.

"Oh my god, don't pretend you didn't enjoy our conversation, come on, admit it!" Luna teased.

"How can I enjoy a conversation with someone I don't respect?" Hunt replied coldly.

"Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, you enjoyed this more than what you care to admit... Can I get a ride? I don't think I can go back to the party since it probably ended hours ago and Ethan and Addy more than likely already left".

Hunt rolled his eyes "Your dorm is on campus, can't you just walk? I'm taking a cab and I have to go outside of campus".

"Oh, a true gentleman as always... see you Monday, professor" Luna stood up and started to walk towards the direction of her dorm. It was on the other side of campus, about 20 minutes walking. Hollywood U was a huge university after all. Luna was in no mood to walk that distance in the state she was – tired, sleepy and drunk – but she'd rather walk than beg her asshole professor for company.

Thomas didn't know why he felt that way. Did she just make him feel like a complete moron? Although he could be a jerk and actually enjoyed being one sometimes, he was not the type of asshole that leaves a woman alone, in the state she was at the hours of the morning they were. Even if the "woman" in question was almost a child in his opinion, and his student nonetheless. A small headache started to appear as he rolled his eyes and followed her.

"Luna! Wait! I'm sorry, it is my duty as your professor to assure your well being, please allow me to escort you to your dorm" his voice softened but remained low and stern.

"I'll be Okay, don't worry about me. I've been in worst situations than this, no biggie" she continued to walk.

Hunt rolled his eyes and reluctantly followed her. He didn't want to show weakness but again, what kind of a man, of a professor, would leave his female student in that position? Not him.

"Don't be so childish. What would _you_ know about tough situations?" Hunt scoffed at the thought of Luna facing danger. He could almost see her crying her eyes out in front of a stranger about to mug her. "You're barely a child, and a difficult and stubborn one at that. Come on, let's go to your dorm" he grabbed her by the arm.

"And what do _you_ know about me? You don't know a thing about me, where I have been or what I'm capable of" She let go of his grip in a quick movement that startled Hunt "That's the problem with you, for Thomas Hunt there is nobody more important than Thomas Hunt. I don't care who you _think_ you are, but you are not better than me or anybody else for that matter. I know how to take care of myself probably better than you ever will. See you Monday." she turned around and quickly disappeared through the trees, almost like if she was running away from him.

Hunt just stood there. He didn't know what to think, do or say. Every time he interacted with Luna he was more and more perplexed, both in a good and a bad sense. She seemed so childish sometimes, so obstinate and careless; but there were also times - like tonight - where she was so intelligent, so talented, so... fresh. ' _Just what Hollywood needs_ ' he thought. He sighed and walked outside of campus, called a cab and got home at 7:30 am. He felt remorseful for letting her walk by herself. He kept fighting the idea but finally he gave in, took his phone and searched for her number. The one she gave him after the incident at Lisa's Video shooting. He hesitated once more but pressed the green dial button despite his doubts.

 _Beep, beep, beep_. The loud ringing sound brought her back abruptly from the deep dream she was in. She had to rub her eyes twice when she read the name of the unexpected caller. " _Cunt_ ". The vulgar word replacing Hunt's name made her laugh. What would he say if he knew about the nickname she had assigned to him in her phone? After a few more seconds, a sleepy voice finally answered on the other side.

"Hunt? I can only assume your conscience was stronger than your pride. I'm OK, you can rest now" she said with a soft, yet sarcastic voice.

"Good, see you tomorrow then" Hunt replied with an equally soft voice.

"Tomorrow? Maybe you're starting to hallucinate or something but tomorrow's Sunday. Sunday is a day for resting and relaxing, don't you know that? Do you even know how to relax?"

"There's no relaxing in Hollywood. See you tomorrow in my office to finish off the details of Clash at Sunset that we discussed. Be there at 11 am sharp. Don't you dare to be late" he warned.

Luna was about to respond with a typical sarcastic comment when Hunt hung up the phone.

"Yeah, have a nice day too, prick..." her voice dripping in annoyance, but with a genuinely happy smile in her lips that she actually didn't notice.

 **A/N: I apologize for the delay of the publishing of this chapter. You know, sometimes life gets in the way of our hobbies, but I'll try my best to dedicate more time to this fanfiction. Thank you so much to all the people that take the time to read this contribution of mine to the fandom. I see with sadness that our little fandom is starting to decline. Hopefully that changes soon. Thank you all again, and please let me know if you enjoy this fanfic, it's always encouraging to hear that somebody out there is enjoying my stories.**


	13. (13) Rebel Lisa

**A/N: At this moment, I'm going over the game from the very beginning to have a better understanding of the timeline of the story. I realized that I made a couple of mistakes regarding the sequence of events in Lisa's video, Lisa's Wild Party Night and Lisa's enrollment in Hollywood U and Dorm. I believe it's too late to correct those errors since the story is already flowing with that chain of events and some future ones that might differ from the original story. Since this is a fanfic work, I love to imagine different scenarios that provide different outcomes to the story and I plan on going along that line, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. As I mentioned in previous chapters, I apologize for not updating this story as often as I should (and as I'd like). I might be slow in my chapters, but I don't plan in abandoning this fanfiction until its end. Hopefully the people that enjoy it will stick with it until then. Any comments, please feel free to contact me! Thank you for reading.**

"What's the matter? Why are you so agitated? What happened?" Luna asked confused as she was abruptly awoken from a deep, comforting sleep.

"It's Lisa, we have major problems. She got very drunk and insisted on going to a club shortly after you left. Ethan stayed back and waited for you. Claudia, Seth and I followed Lisa, we couldn't let her go alone. When we got to the club she was kicked out because one of the guards found out Lisa's ID was fake" Addy paused for a moment to gather some air back. She was very agitated as if she had run for miles.

"Addy, calm down, here, drink some water" she served some water from a carafe she had by her night stand into a glass mug and passed it to Addy. "What time is it?" Luna asked, unable to open her eyes completely.

"It's 10 in the morning. Why are you so sleepy? At what time did you get in?" Addy narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but she suddenly remembered that there were more important matters at the moment. "Aughhh, come on, there's no time... but you better tell me later! Ethan's waiting in the living room. C'mon, let's go!" Addy exited the room in a rush leaving Luna behind, worried. She felt how the mild hangover and sleep deprivation started to go away, being replaced by worrisome. She got up, put her clothes on, washed her face, brushed her teeth and fixed herself as fast as humanly possible. After several minutes, she rushed to the living room. She searched for Addy, who was nowhere around. Ethan was sitting on the couch, rocking back and forth nervously.

"Ethan, please tell me what happened? Are you OK? Is Lisa OK? Where's Addy?"

"She's outside trying to find out what happened to Lisa. Lisa got very drunk, she got kicked out of a club, organized a hotel party and completely trashed the place. I had to pay for all the damages with part of the money from Clash at Sunset. I didn't have all the money the hotel manager asked for all the damages Lisa made and for not getting the police nor the media involved, so I had to borrow part of the budget of Clash at Sunset"

"You whaaat?! Ethan, the budget is very tight, you know that! How could you use that money without telling me? How could you be so irresponsible?!" Luna yelled.

"Oh, so you would've preferred a scandal?! You should be _thanking_ me right now! Oh, and I would've asked if you had been anywhere around. I waited hours for you before I had to go take care of the whole Lisa situation" Ethan yelled back, enraged. Luna looked at Ethan, holding her ground. However, almost immediately she regretted her previous words.

Addison entered the room, immediately taking notice of the tension between her two best friends. "Guys… apparently, Seth found Lisa. We gotta go _now_. I called Mike and asked him to give us a ride, he's downstairs waiting for us, so, whatever you're arguing about can wait for later. Let's go!" Addy turned around and started to sprint downstairs. Luna and Ethan followed suit. They quickly entered the actor's car and drove to Seth's house. Luna suddenly realized a very strange fact.

"Ethan, where's your Porsche?" she asked, a big part of her not wanting to know the answer to that question.

"Why don't you ask someone else? Someone who's not as irresponsible as your stupid agent?" Ethan replied with a voice full of sarcasm.

"Oh, come on you two, stop it! After we got busted by the hotel's staff Lisa sneaked out and took Ethan's Porsche. We've been looking for her since. Now, you two have to stop this!" Addy's usual small and soft voice was replaced by a firm, authoritarian one.

Luna couldn't feel worse. She had been very unfair to Ethan. Last night had been worse than hell for him and there she was, questioning his actions without knowing, judging him. She looked at him and saw his usually happy face replaced by a cold, hurt one. _Now is not the time, I'll just have to wait until he's calmed down,_ Luna thought as she remained silent. A few minutes later, they arrived at Seth's house, Ethan's Porsche nowhere to be found. They rushed into the house and found Lisa in the living room. She was sitting down, wrapped around a fleece and a cup of coffee in her hands. She looked up and stood up as soon as she saw Ethan.

"Oh my god, Ethan, I'm so, so, so sorry. Please, forgive me!" Lisa looked sincerely sorry.

"Forgive you for what? Where's my Porsche? What happened?" The answer was more than obvious.

"I... I... Oh, I can't, sorry. I can't..." Lisa put the cup she was holding on top of the coffee table in front of her and threw herself into the couch, tears flowing. Ethan turned his gaze to Seth, worry reflected in his eyes.

Seth sighed. It was evident that Lisa was not going to tell him what happened, so it was up to him to give Ethan the bad news. "Sorry Ethan. Lisa crashed your car. I think it got towed way, I'm not completely sure because I had to take Lisa out of there before any Paparazzi arrived. I already contacted an attorney and he's taking care of everything with the police. Thank God nobody was hurt, so that should make things a little easier" replied Seth apologetically.

Ethan's eyes were like two blazing fire balls, something nobody had ever seen. Luna was happy she was not in Lisa's shoes.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing... I... I better leave before I do something I regret." Ethan turned around, voice shaking with anger. Clenching his fists, he started to walk towards the exit. He stopped suddenly and turned his gaze to Luna. "You're right Luna. I'm very, very stupid, but not for saving your careers from a major scandal, but for actually thinking you two were my friends".

In that moment, Ethan's gaze turned from rage to disappointment. He turned on his heel and left. Luna felt a piece of her heart breaking. She hadn't realize how important Ethan was for her, not as her agent but as her friend. She tried to go after him, but Addison grabbed her arm and held her back.

"I don't think that's a good idea. He won't listen to anything you have to say to him right now. Let him cool down" Addy warned.

"I hurt his feelings. I have to apologize to him..."

"And you will, don't worry. You just have to wait for him to be ready. Believe me, I know him better than you do, he just needs to be alone" Addy took Luna's hand and they both sat down next to Lisa.

"I suppose you're right... I just feel so bad, he didn't deserve that..." Luna was genuinely worried, but the moment she saw Lisa she remembered everything about Clash at Sunset's budget. She was more than furious, but she decided to follow Addy's advice and just let things cool off. "I'm sorry guys, but I have to leave too, I can't deal with this right now. Seth, Addy, thank you for everything... and Lisa... I'll talk to you later" Luna headed to the outside of the house and opened her Uber app to request a ride. Addy followed her outside.

"Luna, do you want me to go with you?" Addy asked softly.

"No Addy, I think you should stay with Lisa. She needs a friend right now and I'm afraid I can't be of help, not right now. Please take care of her and I'll see you later. Please call me if you guys need anything".

"I will. Be careful. Call me when you get home". Addy gave Luna a small smile.

"Don't worry, I will. Bye." Luna gave her friend a quick, yet heartwarming hug and boarded her ride. After 20 minutes she was back at her dorm. She entered her room and check the time. 1:50 pm. _These have been the longest 4 hours ever,_ she thought as she laid back on her bed. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, she quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

Luna's eyelids flickered as she started to wake up. There was complete darkness and silence in the room. She got out of bed and walked towards the light switch, turning on the lights. She grabbed her cellphone and checked the time. 8 pm. She opened her notifications to see if she had received any new messages... nothing. She was hoping Ethan had messaged her, but she knew it will take more than a few hours for his anger to pass. She wanted to call him, to apologize, but Addy was right, the best thing to do was wait. She decided to take notes and organize everything for tomorrow's meeting with Hunt. It was evident that Hunt was going to go crazy once he found out all the details of Lisa's wild night, but Luna thought that it was best to prepare for it. After a couple of minutes Luna's cellphone rang, startling the young director. Lisa's name displayed across the screen. She hesitated for a second, but finally decided to take the call.

"Hey Lisa, what's up?" Luna answered casually.

"Hi Luna. I... uhh... Listen, I'm so, so sorry, I really am. I feel like garbage. You guys have been awesome and all I've done is get you in trouble. I feel so bad. Can we meet somewhere? I'd like to talk to you in person, please." Lisa's voice was low and soft, full of remorse. Luna felt bad for her.

"Ok, I'll order Chinese and you can come over"

"Let's go to Freddy's Bistro, my treat. It's the very least I can do after all that happened"

"Hummm... it's getting kind of late and I have to meet Hunt tomorrow."

"Just for a little while, let's just have dinner and then you can leave. Please?"

"Hummm... Okay. I'll meet you there in an hour"

"Cool. Thank you, Luna. See you there!" Lisa's voice lightened up.

Luna took a quick shower and got ready as fast as she could. Freddy's Bistro was the place where Luna and Lisa first met, it was a very popular place among celebrities, she had to look her best. She wore a skin tight ¾ purple skirt, white high heels and a white background with purple flowers off-the-shoulder, long sleeve crop top. Her defined, well-toned legs and athletic figure were highlighted by the tightness of her outfit, yet she still looked balanced and elegant. Her soft, sleek pink hair up in a high ponytail. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought to herself: _Can't remember the last time I looked this good!_ She was always very neat and careful with her appearance, but she never considered herself as a sexy person, quality she obviously had. She requested an Uber and headed towards Freddy's Bistro. As she was approaching the entrance, a familiar voice called her name.

"Luna!"

"Ethan! Wh, what are you doing here?" Luna asked, bemused.

"Lisa called me a 100 times until I gave up and finally answered. She asked me to come here another 100 times so I gave up that too and came here. What about you?" his gaze went gradually from her eyes towards the rest of her body. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped as he noticed Luna's appearance.

"Pretty much the same thing as you... I doubt this is just a simple dinner as she said. I wonder what she's planning... Ethan?... Hey?" she nudged Ethan who appeared to be hypnotized.

"Uh? Oh, yeah, Lisa. She should be here any moment now. Do you want to go inside and wait for her there?" Ethan seemed surprisingly nervous. He always acted so confident, secure and charming that seeing him like that made Luna feel tenderness towards him.

"Sure, I'd love a glass of wine while we wait, let's go!" she smiled at him and he offered her his arm. Both friends walked cheerfully towards the restaurant, as if nothing had ever happened. They asked for a table and ordered drinks while they waited. There was this weird connection between them. They always seemed to agree on everything, they always had a great time together, they truly enjoyed each other's company; their closeness made Luna wonder if maybe they'd be an equally happy couple. Ethan was handsome, intelligent, funny and very driven. He was everything a woman would want in a man. But she just couldn't see him that way. Luna had several boyfriends throughout her life, but she had been in love only once. She loved with everything she had, a once in a lifetime love that never really leaves; or that's how she considered it up to that point.

"Luna..." Ethan's voice changing from joking to a serious mode. "I can't stop thinking about us. Look, it's obvious you're not interested in me, and I really want to keep a friendship between us. I know it's not easy to forget but I'd like for everything to go back just the way it was before yesterday. We've known each other for a very short time, but that's enough to know that I want you in my life, even if it's just friends. So, let's try and forget all this... please?" said Ethan with a small smile.

"Oh, Ethan, you don't know how relieved I am that you said that. It's been less than a day and I was devastated. I thought our friendship was over. I realized how important you are in my life too. Look, I need to be honest with you. Before I came here, while I was in Mexico with Peace Corps, I fell very deeply in love with someone that didn't deserve it. I'm not sure if I'm completely over him, only time will tell... but for now, I think I just need to be alone and dedicate myself to my career, which is the most important thing for me right now. Please forgive me if I hurt you in any way, it's the last thing I wanna do" Luna smiled apologetically at Ethan.

"No, thank _you_ for confiding in me, I really appreciate you telling me the truth. I really hope that one day you can get over that dumb asshole that broke your heart. He must be out of his mind to do that, rejecting _you,_ the most beautiful woman on earth. I just want you to know that I'm here for you, always. Ok?" Ethan took Luna's hand in his and gave it a gentle kiss. Both friends looked into each other's eyes and silently agreed to an unconditional friendship.

After 30 minutes and a couple of drinks later Lisa was nowhere to be found. They decided to wait a little bit longer before calling her. After a couple of minutes their waiter arrived carrying a small silver tray, a white envelope and a set of keys on top of it.

"Sir, Madame. Miss Valentine sends these and her apologies for not being here tonight. Dinner has been paid in advance. I'll be your personal waiter for the rest of the night" Luna and Ethan stared into each other fighting to laugh at the waiter's mannerisms. Even though both knew exactly how Hollywood worked, it was hard to get used to all the luxury and seriousness. Luckily, both were also good actors.

"Thank you! I appreciate your hospitality. Would you be so kind and give us a couple of minutes?" Luna answered with grace.

"Of course. I'll be back shortly. Excuse me."

"Dibbs!" said Luna with a tiny voice as she quickly grabbed the white envelope. "Let's see... _Dear Luna and Ethan, thank you so much for giving the opportunity to talk to you. I came in and saw you guys so happy that I didn't what to ruin the good time you guys are having. I know for a fact that you are angry at me because I am too. You are the first people to truly believe in me and all I did was betray that trust. I'm so sorry and I will do whatever it takes to gain your trust back. In the meantime, this is a small start: paying back what I owe. Love you guys."_ Oh...my...god... Ethan, these keys are of your new Porsche! Look, a photo of this gorgeous, surreal Porsche and it says "Ethan's new Porsche"! And this check... this is a lot more money than what you paid, isn't it?"

Ethan could not process what was happening. "Luna, this is more than double! It's actually the amount we needed for Clash at Sunset! And this Porsche is a newer, way more expensive model than my old baby... I... I can't believe Lisa would do this!"

"I guess she feels genuinely guilty. I'm just glad we can continue with Clash at Sunset with no problems. This whole situation was actually a godsend!"

"Well, I propose a toast. For our friendship, that we always find a way to be friends no matter what happens, and to the future success of Clash at Sunset"

The clinking sound of the glasses and the smiles on Ethan and Luna's faces was quickly erased by a familiar voice.

"I hope you have all the details of tomorrow's meeting defined and solved, Mrs. Armstrong"

Luna heard the gruff voice right behind her. Without turning back, she immediately recognized the voice, rolled her eyes and replied "Hunt... What are _you_ of all people doing _here_?"

"I actually thought you had a pretty good idea of how Hollywood works; obviously, I was mistaken. You should explain the importance of networking to your client if you two want to be successful in this business, Mr. Blake. Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Mrs. Armstrong. Please be on time and prepared" Hunt turned around and walked towards a table where three elegant men wearing expensive suits sat. With them sat a gorgeous, stunning golden-brown skin toned woman waited with anticipation as she looked in Hunt's direction. As soon as he arrived all three men and the woman stood up to greet him. What really impressed Luna was how polite and friendly Hunt looked. For a second there she even saw him smile. It was the first time she saw him do that, she was astonished. _He should do that more often...,_ she thought. Ethan and Luna continued with their conversation for a little bit before they were interrupted for the second time.

"Hey you..."

"Chris! Hi! What an amazing surprise! How are you?"

"Good. Just came here to have dinner. I've been on set all day, I'm starving. Ethan, how are you man?" Chris offered Ethan his hand, Ethan stood up immediately and greeted the young actor affectionately.

"Not much, just planning our next project, Clash at Sunset. But, please, have a seat!" Ethan gestured Chris to take a seat on an empty chair at their table.

"Really? Thank you, man. I appreciate it. Hey, do you guys mind if I join you for dinner?"

"Not at all, we'd be honored. Right, Luna?"

"Of course, you don't even have to ask Chris." Luna smiled at him radiantly.

"By the way, you look... I can't even find words to describe it... You look strikingly breath-taking" Chris looked at her from head to toe. Ethan felt his blood instantly boil through his veins, jealousy rapidly invading him. However, he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Luna was just his friend, the only thing he could do was sit down and stay quiet.

"Yeah, well… I try" Luna replies playfully. "How's the filming going?"

Chris and Luna continued to talk joyfully while Ethan ate his dinner quietly. Chris was joking around and making Luna laugh so hard that she didn't notice Ethan's behavior nor Hunt's occasional gazes. After they all finished their food Ethan waited a couple of minutes before interrupting Chris and Luna.

"I'm sorry guys, but I think it's time for me to leave. I got an early meeting to attend tomorrow. Luna, would you like me to give you a ride to your dorm?"

"Uh... sure." Luna turned around and reached for her clutch.

"If you wish I can give you a ride myself, Luna. I brought my chauffeur today, we can have a couple of drinks and I'll take you to your dorm in a little while"

"Oh... I- I have a meeting with Hunt tomorrow morning, maybe I should get going..." – Luna looked at Chris apologetically.

"On a Sunday? What's wrong with the dude? I guess some people just never change. C'mon, stay just a little bit, I'll take you home, just give me one hour of your time, you won't regret it" Chris flashed a beautiful smile at Luna.

"Hmmm... Ok, I guess I can stay for a little longer. I'll see you tomorrow Ethan, maybe we can grab lunch after Hunt's meeting?"

"Sure. Call me. Don't stay up too late, kiddo. Oh, and remember Hunt is here, so try to not talk about him, he might hear you with his robot ears. He's been a lot of help and we do need him on our side. Chris, please take care of her. See you guys later." Ethan said good bye with a small smile and quickly left.

"Thank you for staying, Luna. I always have a good time when I'm with you"

"Me too Chris, I really enjoy your company"

"So, big meeting with Hunt tomorrow, uhhh? You're already in trouble?" Chris gestured the waiter to approach.

As soon as Luna heard Hunt's name she started to scan the room immediately. Chris noticed her concern and smiled at her.

"Don't worry, he's all the way on the back, he won't be able to hear us."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be too sure about that… Well, I don't want to bore you with details, so here's the short version: I did get into a little fight with Bianca Stone and ended up in academic probation. Now I must complete 3 major projects. Lisa's video was one of them, and now we're working on a new film, Clash at Sunset. Hunt seemed very interested in the film, I gave him the script of the movie and he read it within _hours._ He wants me to go to his office tomorrow so we can start filming this coming week. You seem to know Hunt... have you two worked together?"

"Well, actually yes. I have taken several classes from him in the past. The guy is a complete jerk, but he's a complete _genius_ too, it's impressive and intimidating the number of things the guy knows. He even gave me a class on martial arts in cinema once... did you know that he masters more than 8 different martial arts? I really respect the guy as a Hollywood Icon... but I find him arrogant and cruel as a person"

"The man is more than a Hollywood Icon, the man is an institution... and yeah, you're completely right about the jerk part, he's a moron… but, to be honest I'm actually excited to learn as much as I can from him, it's a great opportunity and something good will come out of putting up with his crap"

"Oh, I'm sure of that, but not because of him but because of you. You're very talented and I'm sure you'll be the next Steven Spielberg, a gorgeous and sexy one that is… you'll see".

Luna and Chris continued chatting and laughing, unaware that almost two hours had passed. A sudden sense of reality struck Luna when she saw Hunt approach with the stunning brown skinned woman from before by his arm.

"Mr. Winters, what a surprise. I erroneously thought Ms. Armstrong would be home working right now instead of socializing"

"Well, I might not be a perfect student, but _I am_ fast learner, _Professor_. I'm just following my teacher's advice about the importance of networking" Luna laid back in the elegant chair with a smirk on her face.

Luna expected Hunt to continue with their usual banter but surprisingly, he completely ignored her. Instead, the woman interrupted.

"Armstrong… So, you're the famous Luna Armstrong."

"Uh, I- I don't know about the famous part but yes, that's my name" Luna straightened her posture.

Priya narrowed her eyes at Luna's defiant look. With no further words, she raised an eyebrow and turned to Hunt. "Thomas, it's getting late, maybe we should get going".

"Of course, please excuse us. Good night." Hunt nodded his head left.

"Ok… what was that about? Who was _that_?" Luna frowned her face.

"Priya Singh. She's a teacher at Hollywood U too, I'm surprised you haven't heard of her"

"Ohhh… that is _the_ Priya Singh. Yes, I've heard pretty terrifying things about her… she's kind of intimidating"

"Well, that's not what you showed us. You looked rather unimpressed. You're a good actress!" Chris smiled.

"Good actress or not I'm not sure it was the right move. We better get going. I got that meeting with Hunt tomorrow and I don't want to piss him off more. Thank you for the awesome conversation"

"Always a pleasure"

Chris and Luna left the restaurant and walked towards Chris' limo. Before entering, Luna saw Hunt and Priya inside Hunt's luxurious sports car, both were smiling and talking. She felt something she couldn't quite understand. She boarded the limousine as fast as possible.

"Hunt is crazy, why would he make me come into his office on a Sunday when we have so much things going on? What kind of loser even goes into his own office on a Sunday?" Luna was so tired that she was cursing Hunt's whole existence.

"I know that for you working on a Sunday is completely out of the question, but in this industry, there is no time to relax. You just got to get used to that, the earlier the better" Addison placed a hearty breakfast in front of Luna.

"You're starting to sound like Hunt, have you two been hanging out or something?"

"I wish that was the case. Actually this whole probation thing might be a blessing in disguise. Working extra time with Hunt will only allow you to learn more from him, think of this as an opportunity, not a punishment. He's incredibly knowledgeable and he has all the contacts, he can help you reach beyond the stars" the blonde young woman sat across from Luna and both girls began eating the tasty breakfast Addison had cooked.

"I know, and _believe me_ , I'm trying to look at this situation as optimistically as I can, but the man is insufferable! I don't understand why he has to be that way"

"Nobody ever will. But I think that's why God made him so handsome, so he can be the asshole that he is and get away with it"

"Ughhh, you're just saying that because you're all in love with him, just like every other girl out there. He's not even that cute, you know?"

"Oh, don't you _dare_. You can say anything about him, _except_ that he's not attractive. Besides, I've seen the way you look at him. You don't look at anybody else like _that_ "

"I can barely stand the man, I don't know what you're talking about. Let's change subjects please, I have a long day full of Hunt ahead of me, I don't want to start any earlier"

"Okay, but remember, just play your cards smart with Hunt" After a small pause, Addison looked at Luna and paid attention to her appearance "You look tired… at what time did you get in last night?" Addison narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you… Ethan and I ran into Chris last night… Wait, actually I have like a million of things to tell you! I _need_ you to live here already! Have you put on the dorm transfer application yet?" Luna glanced at the clock in the wall, it was 10:15 am, she had to leave her dorm at 10:30 am if she wanted to make it on time. She didn't want to give Hunt any excuses for ruining the rest of her day.

"Yes, I placed the application on Friday. I should be getting an answer Monday or Tuesday. I don't think there will be any problems, maybe I should starting moving my stuff here. I can stay tonight so we can have a girl's night out! Oh my god, it'll be so much fun!" Addison giggled.

"That sounds awesome! Can't wait! But I gotta go or I'll be late for my meeting with Hunt. I'll call you when I get out of there." she took a quick sip of her orange juice and stood put to finish getting ready.

"For someone that hates Hunt has much as you do you certainly put a lot of effort in getting ready and looking amazing for your meeting with him" Addy shouted playfully at Luna, who was now in her bedroom.

"Don't start Addy, you know I always like to be well-dressed everywhere I go"

"Sure, that's why you've fixed your hair three times already and changed clothes 4 times, just because you like to be presentable" Addy giggled.

"I... ugh, Whatever. Gotta go. Call you later" Luna grabbed her purse, keys and cellphone and headed to the exit.

"Sure. Call me when you're free from your horrific enslaver."

"Ha-Ha, very funny. I will." Addy and Luna's friendship wasn't a long one, but from day one, it was a very strong one. Luna already thought of Addison as the sister she never had and always wanted. She loved her brother Leo dearly, but she always wanted a sister to talk to, to confide.

When she arrived to Hunt's door it was 10:55 am. _On time and with 5 minutes to spare, at least he won't yell at me for being late_. Luna thought in relief. She knocked on the door while a manly, low voice replied on the other end

"Proceed" She entered his office, an automatic smile drawn on her face.

"As always, late. I don't know why I expect more from you when obviously you're incapable of complying with the bare minimum, something so simple as being on time." Hunt didn't even bother to look at Luna, his voice low and cold.

"Hey! What are you talking about? I'm actually 5 minutes early!" Luna protested.

"What was the first thing that I told you on your first day here in Hollywood U when you were late for my class?" he met Luna's gaze with deep, cold eyes.

"In Hollywood, even being on time is considered fifteen minutes late, and you were even later than that..." she quoted him lowering her gaze. She knew there was no point in arguing with him.

"Right. Please let this be the last time. I'm getting very sick and very tired of your lateness and excuses" he continued to arrange several papers that he had in his desk. "Now, there's a lot of work to be done. First of all and before we get into the Clash at Sunset script, how's that Lisa Valentine's video release going? When is the release party? I haven't received an invitation yet and I don't think I must remind you that I'm your most important guest, I'll be judging your project if you wish to continue as a Hollywood U student" Hunt sat down and gestured Luna to do the same.

"Sure. Here's the invitation" she grabbed the fancy, pink and gold invitation from her purse and handed it over to Hunt. "All details have been taken care of, you'll be impressed. Ethan and I worked very hard this past couple of weeks. The release party is going to be this coming Saturday, and the first shooting of Clash at Sunset is scheduled for Sunday, we already have all the permits and everything"

"I see... I really doubt you'll impress me although I surely hope so… - Hunt narrowed his eyes at Luna's sudden nervousness - Why did you flinch when you mentioned Ms. Valentine?"

"Ummm... We kind of have a little problem…"

Luna explained everything that happened with Lisa the night of the wild party. She didn't spare any details, assuming Hunt would find out eventually if he wanted to. He was surprisingly calm, and after hearing everything that happened Hunt simply added "Well, that's Hollywood's life, get used to it. Let's begin…"

Luna looked at Hunt for a couple of seconds, puzzled, but decided to simply begin to work. She didn't know it yet, but for the next couple of months, she will spend most of her waking time in that office… and she loved every second of it.


	14. (14) Decisions

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: language, alcohol references.**

 **A/N: I'm having so much fun writing this story that I've been struggling a little bit on how to come to a proper start of Hunt and Luna's love story. I have so many ideas but I'd like to stay somewhat true to the original story (although including and excluding story material). A little bit of help would be wonderful! Just let me know :D Also, I'm almost finished with my welding certification (yaiii!), so hopeful (and if work allows) I'll be updating this story more frequently. Please bear with me for a little longer, this will become very interesting very soon, I promise :P Thank you all of you who keep reading this story, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D**

"This is, by far, the most stupid thing you've done in your entire life! I can't believe you went behind my back and shot the tank scene anyways… what were you thinking?! I stated several times that it was an imprudent and foolish idea" Hunt bellowed furiously at Luna. "You destroyed private property and _exposed the lives of civilians_ , thank God nobody was hurt and that we're clear from any lawsuits against you or the school"

"I already told you, we're going to pay for everything…" Luna mumbled in a soft voice.

"Oh, of course you will, that's the very _least_ you can do after all the damage you caused to those people's properties and the school's reputation. You're very lucky not to be expelled from Hollywood U. If it weren't for this movie, I'd be filing your expulsion papers this very second. I actually thought you were brighter and that, I overestimated you."

Luna's eyes widened in surprise. Hunt's words actually hurt her. His opinion was very important to her, after all she did admired him deeply. She felt she had let him down. For a little more than a month already, Hunt and Luna had spent most of their waking time together. Whether they were in class, in their lengthy after school conferences about Clash at Sunset, or even having lunch together in his office because it was too late. Every single detail, even the smallest one, had been discussed and planned by both. Surprisingly for both, they worked very well together – without forgetting their usual banter throughout the day - Hunt acquired a newfound respect for her.

Ethan had convinced her the tank was a good idea and she went for it even when Hunt strongly disapproved of it from the beginning. It sounded like a great opportunity to put that "wow factor" into the production. A real-life fully functional tank, what could possibly go wrong?... She learned the hard way, once again. It was probably one of the most expensive and regretful mistakes of her life. After covering all the damages they did, they'd be lucky to have any money from the budget left. Fact that Hunt didn't know and she was not about to reveal.

"I can't even look at you right now, please get out of my office and go fix this situation. You put yourself in, get yourself out before things get worst for you" Hunt's ice cold eyes sent a chill through Luna's spine. She fought the tears that were about to unfold and silently exited the office. Hunt sighed as she left, disappointed. Even though Luna refused to let him know, he knew that paying for all the damages they caused would absorb most of Clash at Sunset's budget. He walked towards his desk, opened his e-mail inbox and proceeded to write to several contacts he knew would be interested in funding the movie.

Meanwhile, Luna walked towards her dorm, trying to figure out her next move. _Maybe my benefactor will step forward and save the production_ , she hoped with all her heart, which moments later stopped when she found a white envelope as she opened the door to her dorm room. She wished with all her soul for it to be a check from her benefactor. Her hopes soon turned into desperation.

'You have squandered my money. I am most displeased. Find a way to salvage this production or there will be _consequences_. Sincerely, Your Benefactor' she crumbled the white piece of paper as she came to a desperate solution: Anders Stone.

Ethan took Luna's arm before entering the fancy restaurant where they had arranged a meeting with Anders Stone.

"Luna. We're still on time, we can still turn back. Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" Ethan took Luna's hands in his, covering them. A concerned look on his face.

"I… - her voice faltered – I don't know. I don't know if this is going to work or if we're selling our souls to the devil. All I know is that I MUST make this movie a reality, no matter the cost. There's too much invested, hours and hours of careful planning. I just can't fail. That's not an option" she looked frightened, but gritty.

Ethan couldn't help but smile and nod at her determination. They entered the sophisticated, beautiful restaurant and they were escorted to Anders Stone's table. Following a stone path, they walked towards the back of the restaurant where a big open area allowed a magnificent view of the Pacific ocean.

"Well, well, well… I had a feeling you'd come crawling back to me. I saw all the damage you caused on the evening news. I'm guessing you need me to bail out your film, huh?"

"We're just trying to produce the best movie we can possibly make with the resources we have. Believe me, this project will be an instant hit once it hits the theaters, you need us as much as we need you" Ethan fluffed.

Anders, knowing damn well that wasn't true, smirked and addressed Luna, completely ignoring Ethan's words. "I pride myself in the fact that I recognize talent and intelligence when I see it, and I see both and much more in you, Luna. Actually… - he caressed her cheek, a gesture that she immediately rejected by turning her face away as she cringed in disgust - I find it both _surprising_ and _fascinating."_ His gaze lowered slowly from her beautiful hazel eyes, down through her neck stopping at her voluptuous, natural breasts. She suddenly realized how much she missed that small village in Mexico full of honest, modest people. They would never have looked at her the way Anders Stone just did, trying to make her feel more like an object than a human being. Hollywood was a merciless industry and she was learning the hard way.

"Ethan, could you please give us two minutes in private?" she asked softly, her eyes never breaking contact with Anders Stone.

"Luna, I don't think that's a good idea. We should try and resol-" before he could finish his sentence Luna interrupted.

"I wasn't asking for your opinion, I was asking for your cooperation. Please give us a couple of minutes, I'll see you at the lobby shortly"

Ethan sighed and hesitantly left the room. The best thing he could do is hope for the best.

"I've always tried to surround myself with honest, decent people. Both you and I know you aren't. However, I must be honest with you. We do need you, our production is in crisis. Because of the accident, we had to use our entire budget to cover the damages. Without your help, it will be very hard to keep the production in schedule while we find other sponsors. However, you'll benefit equally, if not even more from this production. Having your name linked to this movie will be profitable for the both of us" Luna explained, assuredly. "I'm not here to beg, I'm here to negotiate".

"I don't deny it's a good movie and I'm still interested – Anders shortened the distance between them with a quick step forward – both in _you_ and in the movie" He smirked and leaned in to smell Luna's perfume. "However, since your circumstances have changed I'm afraid the terms of the contract have also changed" Disgust suddenly overwhelmed her. "Tell me more about your relationship with Addison Sinclair… How close are the two of you?"

"She's like the sister I never had. You figure out the rest" Luna challenged Stone.

"Wow, that's even better! In that case, I'm completely sure she will understand" Stone grabbed two glasses of wine from the center table. He offered one to Luna, who cautiously accepted it.

"What are you talking about? What do you want?" Luna narrowed her eyes, fearing Stone's answer.

"I want my baby daughter, Bianca, to have the role of Zola" A triumphant smile invaded Stone's face.

"You can't be serious. That role has already been assigned to Addison. There is no way I'm going to let you humiliate her that way. Forget I was here. Excuse me" as soon as Luna settled the glass of wine in the table and turned on her heel, Stone stopped her by the arm.

"Don't be stupid, if you cross those doors you can forget about my offer. I'm giving you one last chance just because you're so astonishingly beautiful that I'd pay just to look at you. I'll give you 5 minutes to call your "sister" Addison and get her approval. There's opportunities in life that only come once, _this is one of them_. You're going to give me a producer credit, a big share of the box office and give my daughter Bianca Zola's role and I'll finance your film, easy! – Anders drank all the wine in his glass at once, settled his glass next to Luna's and turned to face her – I'm going to go into that room over there and enjoy a delicious cigar. I'll be right back in 5 minutes exactly to hear your final decision. I hope it's the right one Ms. Armstrong" Anders exited the room and Luna was looking fixedly into the ocean in front of her, unsure of what to do. She grabbed her phone and called Addison, who answered almost immediately.

"Addy? Do you have time to talk? It's _really_ important."

"Of course, Luna. What's the matter? Are you OK?" Luna updated her best friend with all the details. Addy remained quiet and carefully listened. Luna didn't know how to explain to her best friend that the fate of the entire production rested in her giving Addison's role to Bianca. She could care less about the credit and the box office shares he asked as well, it's giving Addy's role to Bianca what really killed her. It took her so long to convince her of going back into acting, Addy was very hesitant that when she finally gave in Luna felt like she had won an important battle.

"Listen Addy, Stone is demanding Zola's role to be performed by Bianca. I refused immediately, but he insisted that I consult you first. I sincerely don't know what to do Addy… I'm so ashamed with you, I don't want to fail you" Luna sounded desperate.

"Luna, first, calm down. Breath. And second, go and do whatever you think it's necessary to save Clash at Sunset. I know how important this movie is for you, for all of us; even Hunt's been so involved in this movie, you two even tolerated each other for a whole month already, that's a world record! Listen, I know Anders very well, there's nothing he can do to hurt me more than what he already had. I'll be fine, I promise"

"Addy, I'll make it up to you, I swear. I will not forget about this. Thank you for always being there for me…" Luna felt very lucky to have someone like Addy in her life.

Exactly 5 minutes later, as promised, Anders Stone returned to the fancy table and took a sit next to Luna.

"Well… and your answer is…" Stone gestured Luna to continue with the sentence.

Luna sighed, not wanting to pronounce the words that were approaching her lips "You win. We'll sign the contract" she lowered her gaze, ashamed of what she had done.

"Perfect! Cheers!" Stone grinned and offered her a new glass of wine for a toast. Luna couldn't take it anymore; one thing was doing business with this man and other was putting up with his humiliations. Placing the glass of wine carefully on the table she looked at him directly in the eyes and coldly answered.

"I'll ask my agent to take care of all the details, we'll get in touch with you as soon as possible. Good evening" she exited the restaurant as fast as she possibly could. She couldn't bear the sight of Anders Stone for a second longer. Outside, an anxious Ethan waited for her. As soon as he saw her face, he immediately knew that Stone was in. He didn't know if he should be happy or worried.

After a couple of hours later Luna was at her dorm laying down looking at the galaxy and nebula patterns that came off of her star projector, she was thinking about Clash at Sunset. Was it worth it? _It's too late to go back, anyways,_ she kept repeating to herself.

Suddenly, her cellphone rang. Immersed in her own thoughts, she barely noticed. She moved her head slowly and read the caller's name: Cunt. She smiled at the obscene alias she had assigned to her professor. What would Hunt say if he saw it? She imagined his grumpy, yet handsome face on the other side of the line. Nervousness started to invade her. _I'm not in the mood to being scolded like a little child. I better turn this thing off._ Without vacillating, she turned off her cellphone and turned on some music.

The evening was perfect, a warm breeze entered through her balcony window. She sighed and approached the window, taking a deep breath of fresh California air. She decided to pour herself a cup of green tea, change into something more comfortable and do some yoga to calm down. She changed into some yoga pants and a sport bra. She started her routine with meditation, followed by a 45-minute session of relaxing yoga. When she was doing her final meditation, she was startled by a set of loud thuds coming from her front door. She wondered what could possible had happened to the person on the other side of the door for them to be knocking with such eagerness.

"I'm coming! Stop that! I heard you the first 10 times!" she ran across the hall to stop the incessant knocking. "Who the hell is knocking like that!" she opened the door abruptly. Her angry face transformed into a shocked one when she saw the person on the other side of the door.

"Hunt… Wha- What are you doing here? Why are you knocking my door like that? What's wrong with you?" she went from surprise to confusion in a matter of seconds.

"No, what is wrong with _you_. Who do you think you are to reject my phone calls? Why did you turn off your cellphone? I need you to get ready NOW. I found a couple of serious investors that are very interested in Clash at Sunset. We have a meeting with them in 2 hours, please change to something more…" Hunt noticed a drop of sweat traveling from her forehead through her pink, flushed cheek down her neck and finally disappearing in the middle of her breasts. Instinctively, his gaze lowers to her well-toned stomach. Her breathing agitated. For a few seconds, he forgets she is her student and just stands breathless, admiring her perfect body. She felt his intoxicating gaze on every inch of her body. After a few moments, he caught himself and his brain and sense of reality finally kicked in.

"Ahem – he cleared his throat – I need you to change into something more appropriate. We have a meeting in 2 hours, we're still on time" Hunt nervously tried to look everywhere else _but_ her.

"I'm afraid that will not be necessary, Clash at Sunset has been fully financed" she opened the door and gestured Hunt to come in. He looked puzzled.

"What do you mean? By who? When did this happen?" He entered the dorm and returned to his usual professional, grumpy professor mode.

"You're not going to like it… but either way it's done… Anders Stone" she flinched.

"You realize you just sold your soul to the devil, right?... What were his conditions? How much is he going to invest?"

"15 million, that's everything you need to know. Come on, I'm starving, I was just about to make something to eat. Come on in" Luna closed the door, opened a small closet that was next to the entrance and grabbed a Led Zeppelin hoodie. In a smooth motion she put the hoodie on.

Hesitating at first, Hunt entered Luna's dorm room. After one month, they developed a close friendship sort-of relationship, even for his own surprise. After the first week Luna started to bring lunch for both of them to their after-school long planning sessions. Reluctant at first, he ended up accepting the meals. To his astonishment, he enjoyed her cooking more than he cared to admit. He even found himself craving her food sometimes.

As soon as Hunt turned to her he immediately noticed the familiar logos on her hoodie. "Led Zeppelin?" Hunt asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Hummm… yeah. – she giggled, confused- why do you ask? Are you going to lecture me on the risks of listening to rock music?" Luna rolled her eyes and chucked while she took out from the refrigerator some asparagus, tomatoes, shallots and bacon.

"Not at all, quite the contrary. I'm actually impressed. It's not common to find someone your age who actually appreciates good music"

"Someone my age?" she mocks "What do you mean? Are you suggesting that my generation consists of nothing but a bunch of idiots or did you finally realized that you're getting _old_?" Luna teases.

Hunt sighs, bothered.

Luna smiled at him and smiled. "So… _the_ Thomas Hunt, symbol of elegance and sophistication is into rock music? Never would've guessed _that_ in a million years"

Hunt half-smiled while Luna was cooking. For a second there he almost forgot the true reason why he was there.

"I'm not here to discuss my musical preferences with you. What happened with Anders Stone? If you want my name to be in a producer credit you need to inform me of every negotiation"

"P-Producer? Are you really going to put your name in this movie?" Luna was perplexed. She thought Hunt was helping with the movie as a professor, not a producer (even though he performed all the duties of a one). Linking his name to her first movie was going to be a game changer, a guarantee of success.

"I don't understand your surprise. I've been collaborating in this production since day one. It's been a long time since a script captured my interest the way Clash at Sunset has. I believe in the project, it's only fair to invest my name in it"

"That would be an _honor_. I- I really don't know what to say… with you in our credits this film is a guaranteed success already"

" _Nothing is a guaranteed success_ , there's no such thing as a guarantee in Hollywood, or in life, as a matter of fact" Hunt said sternly. "Now, what where Stone's conditions?

"Ok, you win… he asked for Bianca to have the role of Zola, a producer credit and a box-office percentage" she cringed.

"You got to be kidding me. The roles have been assigned; besides, the moron didn't move a finger and now he wants a producer credit and box-office shares? NOT HAPPENING" warned Hunt.

"Well, it turns out that that moron happens to have 15 million dollars he's willing to invest in this production. Given our current situation I had no choice but to agree, it's done."

"You _always_ have a choice. Not even 24 hours passed and you just decided to give up and sell the film to the highest bidder. What a waste of my time. I'll see you in class, Mrs. Armstrong" in a quick movement he turned on his heel and left the room. Luna sighed, leaning against the kitchen's countertop, suddenly realizing the magnitude of the mistake she just made.

A couple of months after…

"A stunt program at Hollywood U? You must be kidding me. You're in absolutely no position to ask for anything around here. Get out of my office before I lose the ounce of patience I have left"

"No professor, you're misunderstanding me. We're not asking, we're strongly suggesting you to consider it"

"Why would I waste my time even considering it?" Hunt raised an eyebrow. "What merit is there in acting like a fool while you risk your life for no reason?"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. A man with your experience, with your vision and talent, yet you understand _nothing_ about the dedication behind stunts' work. They're the ones that make all the incredible scenes that people love so much while the main actor takes all the credit. Even for their and our protection, we should provide them with proper training. That'd make our lives easier and stunts would be properly trained, ensuring security in our future productions"

"Their labor is necessary and appreciated enough to provide everything for their security. However, invest money into a program as ridiculous as that would be even more foolish than what you did with that tank" Hunt explained as he ignored her and concentrated his attention to the laptop computer in front of him.

"Are you going to remind me of that the rest of my life?" she sighed.

"If that's what it takes for you to understand, then… absolutely" Hunt replied as he lifted his steely eyes and glared at her.

"Okay, let's make a deal. On Thursday morning, we're shooting a very important stunt scene with Crash. As you know very well because you partially wrote it, the stunt consists of a motorcycle chase, an explosion and jumping into a helicopter's ladder. Because you are a well-known, renowned director _and_ actor, and since you believe that a stunt's work is easy _,_ this time _you_ perform his stunt. You shouldn't have any trouble at all, given the easy nature of a stunt's work according to you. If you win I'll stop bothering you with the stunt program, but if you lose then you'll push for the program to be established" Luna crossed her arms and straightened up with a smirk painted in her face, proud and challenging.

Hunt narrowed his eyes and leaned back on his chair, thoughtful. If he refused, then he would have to retract on his previous words; however, although he had performed several stunts in the past, it's been years since the last time he did. He wasn't in the best shape especially because of the lack of time he had since Clash at Sunset appeared in his life. Nevertheless, he hated being challenged more than anything.

"I'll be there" he replied after a short while, focusing his attention back to his computer.

Luna widened her eyes, surprised by how fast Hunt agreed to her deal.

Feeling her stare, Hunt rolled his eyes. "Are you going to stand all day like a statue staring at me or are you going to do something more productive? I suggest checking on Dean's progress with Bianca's performance transformation" Hunt suddenly remembered Bianca's horrible, unnatural acting. "Oh, my god, she's so terrible she's very lucky she was born into Hollywood royalty" Hunt felt a tiny headache starting to appear as he rubbed his temple.

"Tell me about… and to think that "thanks" to that brat you punished me and put _me_ on probation…" a tiny trace of scorn in her tone.

"I decided to place you in probation because it was very clear from the first day of school that you need discipline and direction. You should thank me for that. Now, please go and find out what's going on with special effects"

"Please? Wow, I wasn't aware that word was in your vocabulary"

Hunt directed a steely glare at her.

"Okay, okay, I leave now. See ya later! And don't you forget about our deal!"

"I'm a man of my word. Good afternoon Ms. Armstrong"

"Bye, professor" she smiled and turned towards the door.

As she exited, Hunt's gaze followed her long after she was gone; he found himself staring at the closed door, unexpectedly longing for her company.


	15. (15) Consequences

**Disclaimer:** **This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**

 **Warnings: language, alcohol references.**

 **A/N: So, by now I'm sure most of you guys know about the bad news Pixelberry gave us a couple of weeks ago… Hollywood U's final quest is up. I have mixed feelings about this. It's been several years since Hollywood U entered my life and opened the world of fanfiction, I will always be grateful for that. It's been through this story that I have surprised myself at what I can accomplish. Little by little my vocabulary and writing is improving. I find myself being more creative than before just by imagining all possible Hunt scenarios. I never, ever in my life imagined myself writing such a lengthy project, and although I've always dreamt of becoming a writer when I was a child, I thought about it as just a dream. I understand that I have a looong way to go before I can consider myself a writer (specially with so many AMAZING fanfic writers out there that had set the bar so high that I constantly find myself being overanalytical towards my own writing). To all of you, fanfic writers, readers and Pixelberry I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating this wonderful world of Thomas Hunt fanfiction, I will always remember this part of my life as very formative and beautiful. Hollywood U might be over and I'm not going to lie, I'm deeply saddened by the thought. But for us, the real fans, it will always live in our hearts. I plan to continue and finish this fanfiction just like before, maybe a little bit slow but I will definitely finish it, that's a personal goal. To my readers, even if it's just a couple of you, I want to thank you for reading this and for your support, you don't know how lovely and gratifying it is to have someone enjoy what you do. Thank you guys for this wonderful journey, let's keep Thomas Hunt alive through countless worlds, situations, characters and emotions in this awesome world of fanfiction that ALL of us have helped create!**

Thursday morning arrived sooner than expected. Hunt, being the cautious and perfectionist man he was, prepared for the challenge both physically and mentally. As he had anticipated, the rumor had spread around school; students and teachers alike gossiped about it in the halls and classrooms. Naturally, for the last couple of days Hunt always found an excuse to leave early. He didn't want anything to distract him from his goal.

That morning, he woke up at 5:30 am. He changed into his sport clothes and went for a run, followed by a light routine of weight lifting and martial arts training. He enjoyed exercising and tried to do it as often as he could, but sometimes the responsibilities that he had as a professor didn't allowed him the time he wished he had.

7:30 am. They had arranged for the shooting to start at 8:30 am. He took a refreshing cold bath and shaved. He replaced his regular suit with a black sport shirt, a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. After eating a light breakfast, he headed for the set. When he arrived, Luna had already taken care of all last-minute details. People were starting to gather around; indistinctive conversations could be heard in the distance. Hunt parked his car and walked towards Luna, who immediately noticed his casual wear.

"What the hell… what happened to you? I thought you were physically incapable of wearing anything else besides your suits or expensive clothing" she crossed her arms, and scrutinized Hunt from head to toe with a smirk on her face.

"Did you seriously expect me to make a stunt scene in a suit? That's just ridiculous…" - Hunt scoffs – "almost as ridiculous as this mock of a shooting that you prepared. What are all these people doing here?"

"Well, as with every challenge, we need witnesses. What's wrong with that? Besides, people were very, very interested to see the great Thomas Hunt doing stunt work… Unless you've changed your mind?" Luna teased with a smile.

"Of course not. I'm here to teach you a lesson" Hunt pointed a finger at Luna. "I don't appreciate being challenged by my students" Hunt replied, bothered.

"Or by any other human being…" Luna mumbled, while Hunt gave her a harsh glare.

Addison approached them with a script on her hands

"Good morning Professor. Here's the script for today, could you please revise and authorize it? Also, the university informed us that you must revise and authorize all safety procedures as well, the camera crew must prepare and go take their positions, they're just waiting for your authorization" Addy handed the script to Hunt. He opened it and began to revise it.

"Addy, please come with me while Hunt signs the authorizations, we must go through directions with the camera crew. We'll be waiting for you inside the building." Hunt nodded, his concentration remaining on the script that was in front of him. Luna looked at him with an affectionate glare. As Addy and Luna walked towards the building where the scene was going to take place, Addy smirked before talking.

"I saw that…" her playful smirk remaining on her lips.

"You saw what?" Luna furrowed her brow.

"I saw the way you just looked at Hunt. Oh, come on, admit it already! I know you like him, nobody can look at someone the way you just did and not have feelings for him!"

Luna smiled and continued walking pretending she didn't hear her friend.

"You're so mean! But you know what? You're silence only confirms my suspicions"

"Ughhh… You're so annoying when you get like this! Ok! I'll tell you the truth, but promise you won't tell anyone!" Luna made a sudden stop looking back to make sure they were far enough and no one was around. She lowered her voice and got closer to Addison.

"Yes, it's true. I don't know how it happened but I think I'm starting to have some feelings for Hunt"

Addison squealed in excitement. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew there's something between you two!"

"Shhh! I don't want anyone to know! Specially for that exact reason. There's NOTHING between us, the man HATES me, you know that! Implying there's something else than pure physical attraction on my part ONLY could be very dangerous! For both him and me!"

"I'm not too sure about that. I've seen the way he looks at you… there's something there. Believe me"

"I'm SURE it's not what you're thinking. That's beside the point. The man is gorgeous, yes, I admit it. How can anyone remain indifferent towards that? He's handsome, brilliant, gifted… and that jawline… But none

of that matters because that's impossible. It's just a little crush I have because I admire the man. I'll get over it" Luna whispered the last phrase as she turned her head so she could catch a glimpse of her professor. For a moment, she wondered if she was speaking to Addison or trying to convince herself.

"That doesn't sound like a "little crush", that sounds like you looove him" Addy teased and smirked while Luna gave her a scowl. "You even have his signature scowl in your face for God sake! You two have been hanging out way too much… it's getting creepy" Addy laughed.

"Promise you won't tell anybody. Seriously Addy, I'll get over it quickly. I'm not stupid, I know I don't have any chances with him. Just thinking about it is ridiculous. Just imagine his type of woman: nothing less than perfection. That'd be exhausting!"

"Or you might be exactly what he needs"

"Hunt and I? Come on Addy, get real. Instead of wasting our time in this nonsense we should get to work" Luna turned her heel and started to walk towards the building.

"Seriously, you and Hunt spent way too much time together…" Addy giggled as Luna continued her way.

They arranged positions with the camera and special effects crew. After a short while, Hunt joined them. This time, riding a black chopper motorcycle, dressed in a costume that consisted of a pair of blue torn jeans, a white fitted t-shirt that reveal his well-defined abs, an unzipped black leather jacket and black sunglasses. All the women around quickly laid eyes on him, fact that did not bring down his confidence; on the contrary, he looked professional, confident and assured.

"Okay, let's do this. The faster the better. Our goal is to achieve each scene in less than 3 attempts" He looked expectedly at Luna, who seemed shocked. Addy, noticing the situation nudged Luna with her elbow.

"Luna, Professor Hunt is asking you a question…" the blonde whispered to her best friend.

"Uh… oh, yeah, yeah. Three attempts sound great" Luna cheered excitedly trying to brush off her shock. "However, it seems a little bit rushed, don't you think?

"I know you're accustomed to prolonging shooting sessions unnecessarily. Luckily, now you get to learn from real professionals. In this first scene, the character advances through the assassins who try unsuccessfully to stop him. After that the character heads towards the edge of the building, then he jumps from the motorcycle to the helicopter's ladder in one long jump. It's a difficult scene, but with concentration, it can be done without calling for re-takes"

"A-are you sure? Crash is here… we can call him up and- "

"Do you see me hesitating? I said I was going to do this and I will. Let's start…" he turned on his heel and walked towards the motorcycle.

As Hunt prepared himself for the first scene, Luna watched him nervously. Lisa approached her and noticed Luna's uneasiness.

"What's the matter? Why are you so nervous?" Lisa asked Luna curiously.

"I- I don't know. Do you think this is a good idea? I'm not sure if stunt work is one of Hunt's strengths"

"Why wouldn't it be? Hunt is a well-known director and actor, he's got plenty of experience"

"But not anymore, he's a professor now. Maybe he's out of shape or practice…"

"Ha! Do you really think he's out of shape?! I think the problem here is that you need glasses" Lisa chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess. All I'm saying is that maybe we should put more trampolines or extra harnesses in the helicopter"

"Well, whatever you plan on doing you better do it fast, it seems like Hunt's about ready to start" Lisa pointed out.

Luna called security down stairs and requested additional harnesses just when Hunt was ready to start the scene. The camera crew quickly received the call and the filming stopped. Hunt looked back confused. He got down from the motorcycle and approached Luna at a fast pace.

"What's going on?! What do you think you're doing?! We were ready to go!"

"I'm just conducting one last safety check. We need to check that there are extra harnesses on the helicopter, and the trampolines must be checked too. It'll take just a couple of minutes" Luna explained.

"I understand what a safety check means, but those checks had already been done. I've just revised the safety inspections and everything is ready".

"I don't understand the rush. It's better to do things the right way from the beginning. That was exactly my point when I requested the stunt program to be considered. Security should be our priority"

"It is, that's why safety inspections exist. Now, let's keep the shooting going, don't make me waste my time any further" Hunt ordered as he turned his heel and walked back to his position.

Luna sighed as she nodded for the camera crew to keep shooting. However, first she sent a message to Crash "Load extra harnesses ASAP, DO NOT take off without extra harnesses". A similar message was sent to the security crew on the ground regarding extra trampolines to be immediately available.

After a short while, security checks cleared and Hunt revved up the engine as he took off at full speed. Assassins appeared everywhere, drawing their swords and swinging them at him. Hunt avoids them smoothly, without hesitations, almost instinctively. Soon, he approaches the edge of the building, accelerating the motorcycle as he prepares to jump. As he approaches the edge, he jumps from the moving motorcycle to the rope ladder in a quick movement, the motorcycle falling to the ground into a designated area that was empty and secured, making a thunderous sound. While on the air, he sees the rope ladder that hangs down from the helicopter, explosions and cheers can be heard in the distance. He grabs one side of the ladder and tries to stabilize himself while the helicopter stands still on mid-air. He grabs the harness buckle he has around his waist and tries to open it without success. He looks down at the buckle and noticed that the buckle appears to be stuck. However, it's difficult to see or fix it while trying to balance himself in the rope ladder. The helicopter will soon need to keep moving, and if he's not properly secured to the rope ladder with the harness, the abrupt movement of the helicopter will more than likely throw him off balance. Luna, noticing his struggle quickly communicated with Crash, who was head of the crew on the helicopter.

"Crash, what's the problem? Why doesn't Hunt give you the signal to take off?" Luna asked, starting to worry.

"I don't know, it seems like he has problems with his harness"

"Did you load extra ones?"

"Yes, I grabbed extra harnesses when you told me to"

"Oh, thank God!" she sighed in relief. "Now, we can edit the scene later, right now our priority is to secure Hunt to the ladder as soon as possible. Secure yourself to the helicopter's main security harness and very carefully go down to replace Hunt's harness. Do you think it's safe enough?"

At that very moment, the helicopter made an awkward movement due to an unexpected gust of wind. Hunt was abruptly shaken and almost fell through the ladder. If it weren't for his quick reflexes, which allowed him to grab the rope ladder's side, he would've fallen.

"We don't have any other choice! I'm going for it!" Crash ran towards the box with the extra harnesses. Quickly, he ensured his harness worked, grabbed a new one and made sure that one worked too. In a couple of strides, he reached the edge of the helicopter and fastened his harness in a quick, smooth movement as he glided through the main security harness. Soon, he approached Hunt who was still trying to secure his defective harness to the ladder without success.

"Professor! Here! Grab and replace the harness!" Crash yelled while suspended in mid-air.

"What do you think you're doing? I've got it under control!"

"Just take it, please!"

"Crash, I've already told you, I've got this!" Hunt stubbornly shouted back.

"Please, professor! You've won, we're not going to push for the program! PLEASE! Change the harness before it's too late!" Crash pleaded.

Suddenly Hunt realized that his personal vendetta against Luna's confidence made no sense, and surely his life was not a fair price to pay. Besides, Crash risked his own life without hesitations to help him. After a little reluctance, he grabbed the harness and quickly replace the defective one. Crash gave him a big grin and two thumbs up as he was pulled up by the helicopter crew. After Hunt was fastened to the helicopter, the scene continued. Hunt was abruptly dragged by the helicopter and loud explosions followed. Hunt's performance was perfect. He had a very bold and debonair presence in and out the stage. After a short while and without further problems, they completed the stunt scenes. It wasn't in one continuous shot as Hunt would've liked but he was satisfied. It only took them one shot to complete the scene instead of the planned three. Luna felt relieved and accomplished, but she also felt defeated. It wasn't that she underestimated Hunt, she knew very well the talents he possessed, but she couldn't think of any other way to make him budge.

Slowly, the helicopter descended as Hunt stood confidently on the rope ladder. Once he was at a comfortable altitude, he released himself from the harness landing smoothly in the trampoline underneath him. Spectators quickly showed their amusement with a unison cheer. With a smugly smile on his face, he approached Luna confidently.

"Well…that was interesting, to say the least" he smiled roguishly.

"Yeah, it certainly was. You won, as always. I'm just happy nobody got hurt" she replied nonchalantly "Great work guys! That's all for today! Dean! Let's go ahead and start editing the special effects, Addy already ordered lunch for us. Professor Hunt, thank you very much for your time and your experience, you certainly taught us an important lesson today. As we agreed, all discussions regarding the Stunt program are off the table. Thank you for your time" Luna extended her hand to shake Hunt's. He was impressed by the professionalism Luna had shown throughout the entire shooting session. He decided to save any commentaries for later and politely shook her hand in return.

"It was my pleasure, Miss Armstrong". They shook hands and silently agreed to a truce and mutual respect. "I would like to see you in my office on Monday, please be there at 10 am sharp."

"I'll be there" she finalized with a soft smile on her lips.

Hunt arrived at his house soon after ending the stunt scene. As he approached his driveway he noticed a familiar car parked in front of his house. He entered the driveway, exited his car and walked towards the vehicle.

"Priya, to what do I owe the surprise?" He opened the door, offering his hand to help her out of the vehicle.

"We need to talk. Can we go inside?"

"Of course. Please, come on in"

Priya and Hunt walked towards the entrance of the house.

"I saw your Stunt performance today. What's going on Thomas?"

"What's going on with what? Would you like something to drink?" Hunt replied nonchalantly, making a beeline to the bar on the other side of the living room.

"Just water, please. Don't you think it's a little bit early for Whiskey?" replied Priya, noticing Hunt's beverage election.

"No, not really. What I do believe is that I'm old enough to drink whatever I want regardless of the time" Hunt poured the golden-brown liquid in a small crystal glass, looking defiantly at Priya.

"What's going on with you? Are you entering some sort of mid-life crisis?"

"I'm going to have to stop you right there Priya. I know where this is going, and I don't appreciate your attitude" Hunt warned, stopping to take a sip of the golden liquid.

"My attitude should be the least of you worries. What you did today what so reckless and irresponsible! You could've injured yourself in that helicopter! What for? To give your students a lesson or to prove yourself?"

"I know my reasons and I don't have to explain myself to you, Priya."

"Thomas, I'm worried about you. You've been acting strange lately." She shortened the distance between them and gently caressed his cheek, as Hunt remained still. "I thought things were going to be different between us. You know you can trust me, right?"

"I'm not too sure about that if you act this way"

"I'm on your side, Thomas. I just need to know what's going on. You've been acting very odd lately. Your interest in that student's movie is just too much. One thing is to motivate your students and supervise their projects and another is to make them your collaborators and treat them as equals"

"I don't neglect any of my classes and my performance as a Professor and Associate Dean remains the same, or better. Students haven't complained, nor the rest of the faculty or the administration. It seems like your fears are unjustified"

"Unjustified?! I saw you today and it was obvious to me that you were about to fall from that helicopter today! That student, Luna, she's dangerous and reckless. She endangered your life! You must expel her at once"

"Listen, Priya. If there is one thing that I don't tolerate is injustices, and you know it. Today, that "dangerous and reckless" student saved my life. She was the one that, against my own commands, ordered the extra harnesses to be loaded in the helicopters. If it weren't for her good judgement, I don't know what would've happened to me. I have no reasons to push for an expulsion"

"Saved your life? She endangered it in the first place by challenging you to that stupid stunt scene! Tell me something, is it true that the challenge was about opening a Stunt program at HWU?"

"Yes, and before you say anything else, you must know that I'm going to propose the formation of the program with the Dean and the board"

"You've lost your mind! I'm not going to vote in favor of such a stupid program"

"Good, you have the right to do whatever you please. However, I'm very disappointed in you. I don't know what's going on with you, but you're acting very hypercritical without having all the information first."

"It's obvious that we're not going to reach any agreement. I better leave. See you later, Tom"

She walked towards the door and closed it quietly behind her. Thomas sighed and finished his drink in one swallow. He was sure of what he had to do. However, Priya's attitude annoyed him profoundly. He walked towards his office and begin to work on the proposal of the Stunt's program.

After a long and rough weekend of editing, Dean and Luna were completely exhausted that Sunday afternoon.

"Hey! Do you realize we've been working since Thursday afternoon almost non-stop? We GOTTA chill, if we don't we're going to go crazier than we already are!" Luna said jokingly.

"I agree… I think I'm starting to hallucinate with explosions, giant pizzas and Bianca robots" Dean giggles while rubbing his eyes. "Bianca's transformation, although it was a brilliant idea, turned out to be a little bit more challenging that what we thought. Fortunately for us, her horrible acting helped us a lot"

"I know! Her acting is so horrible that she actually plays a good robot. I need a break from looking at her face… Hey! Today's Sunday, right?" Luna's face suddenly lightens up.

"Yeah… I think so…" Dean looks down at his smartwatch. "Yup, definitely Sunday. Why do you ask?"

"Ok, I don't know if you're into Indie music, but some friends play today at Venice Beach. Would you like to go? It'd be awesome! We can relax by the beach, I'm sure that'll help us refresh our ideas!"

"Uhhh… I don't know… is there going to be a lot of people? I—I don't like to be around people, you know…" Dean puts his hands in his pockets nervously, staring down at the floor.

Luna watches him empathetically, a tender smile on her face. "Don't worry Dean, we don't have to go if you don't want to. Or… we can go for just a little while, if you feel overwhelmed at ANY time, just let me know and we'll leave immediately, no questions asked, I promise…" Luna offered her hand in exchange for his trust. He hesitated for a little bit, and after a short while he smiled and shook Luna's hand back.

"Deal!" Both smiled and grabbed their belongings.

After a forty-minute ride, they arrived at Venice Beach. Dean was marvelled at the myriad of weird and bizarre people all around. Luna asked herself if she should be worried about Dean, but by the look on his face, he was having a better time than what they had expected. After a short walk, they approached a group of people who were tuning instruments and organizing a bong fire by the beach.

"Luna! It's been a while! Where have you been, stranger!" a handsome hippie-looking young man approaches her with a hug.

"Zack! I'm so happy to see you man! I've been a little bit busy with school… nothing to worry about, though. Hey! Meet a very dear friend of mine and one of my main collaborators, Dean. Dean, Zack" Luna nudged

Dean, who surprisingly looked more relaxed than expected.

"Nice to meet you, man! Luna's friends are our friends. Please, take a seat. You see that big cooler over there by the pier? There's beers, water, iced tea… your pick! No need to ask, Bro. Oh, before I forget, there are some new dancers today, and one of them is AWESOME. You should check her out, she might be of help in one of your school projects"

"Really? That's so cool, I'd certainly like to meet her" Luna replied excitedly. She really loved to meet new, interesting people.

"Just check in with Rain, she'll be so happy to see you"

"I will. I'll see you around Zack, we're going to grab some water"

"Cool! I'll be here!"

Luna and Dean started to walk towards the pier, where a group yelled cheerfully. As soon as they saw Luna and Dean, one of the girls acknowledged them happily.

"Lunaaa! Oh, my God, where have you been? It's been a while! Come, come, let me introduce you to the new dancers we have!" Rain, the organizer of the dancers welcomed Luna with a hug "You know what? You might know one of them! She goes to Hollywood U too!" after a short pause, Rain scans the pier searching for the girl. "There she is! Come!" Rain grabs Luna's hand and both walk towards a group of dancers that are just below the pier, Dean follows suit.

"Hey you! I'd like to introduce you to a very dear friend and a terrific dancer, Luna. Luna, this is Shae" both girls widened their eyes as they are confronted face to face.

"What are you doing here? Is Bianca here? Listen, I don't want any problems, so if you – "

"Calm down, she's not here, it's just me" Shae interrupted.

"Do you two know each other?" Rain asked cautiously, looking back and forth between the girls, noticing the tension between them.

"Yes, we know each other. What are you doing here?" Luna questioned coldly.

"I think it's pretty obvious, isn't it? I joined this dance team so I can dance" Shae emphasized her sarcasm while she rolled her eyes. Nonetheless, as soon as her eyes met Dean's, she couldn't help but smile and wonder who the blonde man was. Luna was about to shot back an equally sarcastic comment when she noticed Shae and Dean's immediate attraction; a knowing smile appeared across her face.

"Ok… let's make a deal… Thinking in the group's best interest, let's forget the whole Bianca situation. We start over like nothing happened. Truce?" Luna smiled while offering her hand to Shae good-naturedly. Shae had been mean to her in the past, but Luna had noticed the way Bianca treated her. She was cruel to her, even despiteful; maybe they had more things in common than what they thought. Shae was surprised by Luna's reaction. She looked at Luna's offering hand, and after a quick consideration, she shook hands with the young director.

"Truce. Actually, I'm kind of pissed off at Bianca. Sometimes she can be a real bitch. Just like I was to you… I'm sorry." Shae looked apologetically at Luna and then lowered her eyes.

"Who? I don't know who that Bianca person is and I really don't care" Luna grabbed Shae by the shoulder, as she turned her so they could face Dean. "Shae, this is Dean. He's a very, very talented Special FX artist, soon to be a legend!" Luna pushed Shae a little bit towards Dean, making both blush.

"Special effects? That's so cool! I'm a makeup artist, I've been thinking about going into Special FX Makeup"

"Uhh- Ohh, that's awesome! You really should! And if you ever need anything, just let me know!"

The young couple started to chat, forgetting about Luna or the dance group. Refusing to be the fifth wheel, she left them alone and approached Rain, who was coordinating a couple of dancers around the fire.

"I wasn't expecting us to be some kind of cupids, but I'm not bothered by the title" Luna smiled as she pointed towards the couple with her chin.

"Me neither… they make a cute couple, obviously, love at first sight" Rain smiled at the couple and then turned to Luna. "And what about you, how are things going? Any suitable candidates at Hollywood U?"

"Hmm… yes and no. Yes, there is someone that has caught my attention. Suitable? No, not really. He's a lot of things but suitable is not one of them, at least not for me" Luna turned her gaze towards the horizon, the sun slowly descending.

"Oh no, that kind melancholy is unacceptable here! Come, let's grab a beer and sit for a bit"

Both girls sat down by the fire, facing the calm ocean, enjoying the warm, salty breeze. Luna confided in Rain the feelings she had been developing for Hunt lately, without mentioning his name. Rain didn't mind.

After an unforgettable evening dancing, chatting, laughing and singing, Luna, Dean and Shae returned to Hollywood U together. Dean and Shae exchanged phone numbers and she returned to her dorm. Luna and Dean walked together to Luna's dorm while he chatted excitedly about their evening and, naturally, Shae.

"Thank you so much, Luna! I'll never forget today. It was perfect, the beach was perfect, your friends were perfect, Shae…" he caught himself smiling to the air and quickly tried to compose himself.

"Was perfect? Say it loud and proud! That's what you feel, the rest of the world doesn't matter" Luna encouraged him.

"It doesn't bother you? I know you don't like her… I don't know what has happened between you two, but she's so cool, you'd like her if you just give her a chance, I'm sure. You just need to get to know her better, she's so fun!"

"It doesn't matter if I like her or not, if you like her that's all that matter. The entire world can go fuck themselves, the only thing that matters is that you're happy. We'll still be friends, I promise. Besides, she is cool, I have nothing against her".

"You're a good friend and I really appreciate all you've done for me. I'll see you tomorrow, thank you so much for an unforgettable day!" Dean accompanied Luna to the entrance of her dorm and then continued to his own dorm.

She searched for her dorm keys inside her purse as she went up the stairs. As soon as she opened her dorm room, an overwhelmingly exquisite aroma invaded the room.

"Is that your famous spaghetti with your awesome homemade marinara sauce? Hmmm… you're trying to get me fat or what are you doing to me?"

"Just a little treat for you. This movie is killing you, you need to relax for a little bit. A couple of massage therapists are on their way. We'll have a well-deserved massage, a delicious dinner and a glass of wine. We'll be in bed by 11, surprisingly"

"You're the BEST Addy, my savior!" Luna laughed and hugged her best friend.

It was the perfect finish to a perfect day. Life, although complicated, was good.

After last night's massage session, followed by dinner and wine, Luna slept soundly. She woke up 5 minutes before her alarm rang, fully energized. She turned on her radio and took a refreshing bath. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed that her hair color was beginning to fade.

"It's time to change colors. Maybe throw some purples or blues in there. We'll see." She thought.

She walked towards her closet and chose a yellow, 50s style sundress. The dress complimented her natural curves perfectly. She arranged her soft pink hair in a high ponytail and waived her pink hair strands. She couldn't explain exactly why, but she was nervous about her meeting with Hunt. It bothered her that she thought about him continuously. "I must take him out of my mind, if not, this will not end well for me" she warned herself. After a final inspection, she was ready to go meet Hunt at his office.

Right outside his door, Luna stopped and took a deep breath before knocking. She was afraid to show any feelings she might have to Hunt. She didn't consider herself a good actress, but for her own good she had to try her hardest. After three consecutive knocks, his husky voice answered on the other side.

"Come on in"

"Good morning, Professor. Fifteen minutes before 10 am exactly, no more, no less. How was your weekend?"

"Acceptable. Please, sit down." Hunt gestured Luna to take a seat, not removing his gaze from the monitor in front of him. "I just received an email from the University's Dean confirming the-" at that moment her perfume distracted him and his gaze went directly to her. "Oh… you look…" for a moment he was completely out of words. She looked at him expectantly while he tried to pretend nothing had happened. He cleared his throat and continued. "You look appropriate today. A good presentation is a key element for success in Hollywood, well done" Luna was awestruck by Hunt's compliments. It was so unlike him to compliment his students that she was stunned by the action "I asked you to come today because I've got a couple of news for you. The Dean has just confirmed that the Stunt program has been approved this morning. Except for a couple of board members that did not support the proposal, most of the board members were thrilled by the suggestion after Thursday's filming… apparently, critics heard about my stunt participation. We're sure it will bring more publicity to the school and hence, the program. I must thank you for that. It was because of your careful planning and high regards for safety that the scene was a success; and, I must say, it's because of you and Crash that nothing happened to me. Thank you"

His eyes were soft and his gaze reflected fondness. She was shocked, those words were the last thing she imagined hearing from him, ever. "The program will be implemented this coming semester. Crash will be the first, and honorary, member of the program. Your friend showed that stunt work involves taking risks, even when lives are in danger. What he did required precise timing, great athletic skill, and… bravery. Hollywood could use more people like him""

"Are you serious?... I can't believe it… any of it! I wasn't expecting this at all! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Luna was overjoyed.

"Consider yourself lucky. I'm saying if this goes wrong, it's on you. And I'm saying if you ever do what you did in my office the other day, daring me that is, I'll have you out of here faster than you can blink!" Hunt's voice changed to his usual harsh tone.

"And here we have him again… the merciless Hunt" Luna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I don't have time for your usual banter… How's the progress with special effects? The deadline for submissions to the Sundance festival is in two weeks. You need to have the final, edited copy of the movie ready before that, at least a week before so we can complete the submission papers"

"Su- Sundance? Are you serious? I- I don't know what to say, this is so unexpected"

"You don't need to say anything, just do what I tell you to and have everything ready no later than Friday so we can do a final inspection"

"Friday? It's a little bit rushed but we're almost finished, I'm confident we can make it on time. You will not regret this Professor, thank you so much for everything!" Luna grinned in excitement.

"Good. You're dismissed. See you in class"

"See you in class, professor"

Luna couldn't wait to tell her friends the good news, after all, the merit was not only hers but a mutual effort.


	16. (16) Paradiso

After a very stressful week, Clash at Sunset was officially completed. Countless hours of arduous work had finally paid off, this was now a reality: Luna's first production… and to think that she owed part of this opportunity to Bianca's stubbornness. It all happened so suddenly that she was barely assimilating the idea. Not only did Clash at Sunset had Thomas Hunt's participation as an executive producer, but it was also financed and supported by Anders Stone, Bianca's father… what a fortunate irony. Even though she detested both father and daughter, she had to admit that Anders knew exactly how Hollywood works and he always used it to his advantage. At least this way Clash at Sunset had more chances of becoming something more than just an indie film.

A few days later, Bianca and Luna were interviewed by May Gordon (one of the most obnoxious, heartless and unscrupulous celebrity reporters out there). They ended up fighting – as always- causing Gordon to publish a story about both girls' rivalry. They were forced by Anders to take a trip together with the rest of the crew to reconcile their differences and to try to dissipate any gossip about them before it could affect the movie's release. They drove to San Gabriel mountains to find some peace before Sundance and find a way to at least tolerate each other. After a couple of hours of annoying the rest of the crew with Bianca's complaining, they arrived at an exclusive, beautiful resort. When they arrived at the help desk, they were told that Anders had arranged Luna and Bianca to be roommates.

"This must be a mistake; my daddy would never do something so cruel to me! I'm going to call him right this second!" Bianca whimpered.

"I hope this is in fact a mistake, but it doesn't surprise me coming from your father. Be my guest, call him" Luna moved her hand in the air while she leaned against the counter.

Bianca walked outside while she called her father. After a couple of minutes, she returned with watery eyes.

"I can't believe my daddy did this to me, her own baby daughter! You better keep away from me as far as possible! We must share this room together, but that's it! … Baby, my luggage!" Bianca pointed at her ridiculously big baggage case -which seemed to have been packed for weeks instead of days-, turned on her heel and began to walk towards the elevators. Lance rolled his eyes but complied with Bianca's request.

Luna sneered at Lance's reaction while she picked up her backpack and followed them to their room.

After a few hours -which felt like days- Luna and Bianca were in their room getting ready for a dinner they had planned with their crew. At this point, both girls had only one thing in common: they did not want to be there. However, Luna knew that they had to at least try to get along, even if they didn't mean it. Unfortunately, that meant that she had to take the first step.

"Why do you hate me so much Bianca? I honestly don't understand. I never did anything to you, and what I have done is because you started everything. This hole rivalry thing was your idea, not mine."

"Ughhh… just stop talking! You're so annoying that I want to kill myself just for being here with you"

"This isn't easy for me either. I'm just trying to understand why you're this way, especially with me. The faster we do this, the faster we can leave and pretend everything is great between us"

"Ok, if you want to do this let's do it. I don't like you because you think you're so much better than me, when in fact you're nothing. You're a nobody that doesn't deserve to be here!" Bianca hissed.

"Oh, and you do? Why? Just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth?"

"Jackpot! I was born in this world, I'm a Hollywood child and this is my place, my destiny. People like you only contaminate our perfect world with your weirdness"

"You know what? You're so snobbish and stuck up in your own shitty ideas that I just can't help you. However, whether you like it or not we're stuck in this together. You don't have to like me and I don't have to like you, but we can still work together. If you want to fulfill you "destiny", you'll have to make some sacrifices in the way. Let's just try to be civil with each other, ok?"

"Uhhghh… Alright. But I want you to understand this very well: I'm doing this only because my daddy is making me and because of my career, I couldn't care less about you"

"Fair enough. That's all I want from you" Luna turned around and left the room determined to have fun with her friends despite Bianca and her entourage, and she did.

Luna's long hair bounced naturally and freely at her waist as she walked gracefully down the long corridor with a warm smile on her face. Shiny locks of pink, purple and blue hair played with each other to create waves of color. Sporting a pair of red stilettos, a long black high slit maxi skirt and a white long sleeve, lace shirt. She stopped in front of Thomas Hunt's office. She was about to knock on the door when Hunt suddenly commanded her to enter. She smiled as soon as she heard his voice, turning the knob.

"Good morning Miss Armstrong. Take a seat" Hunt lifted his hand and waved towards the chair in front of his desk, a blank expression on his face.

"Is something wrong? Your message last night was kind of unexpected, should I be worried? "

"Clash at Sunset has been selected for this year's Sunset Festival Awards in two categories: Grand Jury Prize and the Directing Award" Hunt's interlocked fingers rested on top of his desk while he waited for a reaction.

Luna felt her blood drop to her ankles. She was speechless. Never in a million years did she ever imagined being nominated for such an important award this early in her career, especially when she was barely a freshman student. "Wh- What did you say?"

"You heard me"

"I- I can't believe it… This is… Oh my God, this is impossible!" she covered her mouth with her hands trying to keep herself from jumping and screaming. An overwhelming feeling of happiness inundated her body.

"Listen, although this situation will bring a good amount of publicity to the University and especially to you, Clash at Sunset is still a probation project. This situation has never happened before, and I must admit it is highly irregular. According to University's policy, if you were to win any of these awards, they will stay here at the University as a collective effort, you will only be accepting the reward on the University's behalf, nothing else."

The happiness that inundated her body just moments before suddenly turned into sorrow and disappointment. She became pale and her throat dried completely, she couldn't produce any sound as she tried to speak.

"Miss Armstrong, are you Ok?" Hunt's voice softened as he noticed her reaction.

"W-what did you say? Are you- are you serious?" she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, taking another deep breath.

"What did you expect? Although Clash at Sunset is very good, it's still one of your probation requirements and this kind of projects do not qualify for awards. I had to seek the approval of the board before bending this rule for Clash at Sunset. They were very clear on their position, you must cede all the awards that Clash at Sunset were to win"

"That's just plain, shameless theft. You were part of this production, you know how much all of us have worked, including yourself! We've been through hell and back for this movie and the University had nothing to do with the final project! They even denied us any funds! How could you accept such conditions?"

"Did you seriously expect to get rewarded for being a disgraceful student?"

"I expect to be rewarded for being a talented student, which you know I am, you've seen it." she challenged.

"This is ridiculous, you're barely a freshman! Your first movie was acceptable mainly because of your team's efforts. You were very lucky to have received all the help you did, including my own. You did not make Clash at Sunset by yourself, so get off your high horse and stop being so unreasonably childish" Hunt's tone harshened instantly.

What Hunt did not know yet -and what was killing Luna inside-, was the fact that this was the second time that an award had been taken away from her. She felt like she was trapped in a recurring nightmare. After a silent moment, she realized that she was powerless, there was nothing she could do or say. All over again. She sighed and turned her gaze to meet Hunt's eyes.

"All right… I give up. Obviously hard work and honesty is not enough… do whatever you want". She looked like she had lost something, the spark of her eyes suddenly disappeared. The situation bothered Hunt immensely. He felt sympathy for her, even though his expression remained harsh. He knew it was unfair and he didn't agree, but regardless of Luna's obvious talents -that he refused to admit in front of her for her own benefit-, the only fact that mattered was that she was still just a freshman on probation. This was the only way that the University would allow the film to participate, he knew there was no other option and there was no room for negotiations.

"Good. You'll need to sign some paperwork, I'll let you know when it's ready"

"Great… can't wait" she rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms in disappointment.

"We need to leave in 5 minutes. We have an appointment with the Sundance committee. You have an interview at 8:30 am and then they'll be interviewing both of us jointly at 9:30 am. Mr. Blake has been informed and he will be meeting us there".

"I assume that's why you asked me to wear something "presentable" today, right? Why didn't you mention the interview so I could prepare myself on what I'm going to say?"

"In Hollywood, you must be prepared for interviews at any the time. Do you think that relentless paparazzies will have the finesse of giving you time to prepare for their career shattering questions?"

"Of course not, that's just stupid. However, as my teacher, you're supposed to teach me, not just throw me to the wolves"

"That's exactly what I'm doing, stop being so dramatic. I hope you remember the importance of punctuality, so we must leave now"

"Can I have the address? I'll request a ride" Luna immediately grabbed her smartphone ready to open the ride-sharing app.

"Don't be absurd. My car is outside, let's go" Hunt grabbed his keys as he checked his smartphone.

"Really? The great Thomas Hunt is willing to give me a ride?" she teased.

"Let's go before I change my mind…" he replied without taking his eyes off the screen.

She smiled and walked next to him towards his luxurious sports car. Despite the sad news, she was unexplainably happy just for having him by her side, at least just to bother him.

Luna sat down on an elegant chair in front of a big, gorgeous mirror observing herself. The mermaid shaped dress fell elegantly on the sides of the chair. The silk felt so soft against her skin she felt almost naked. An intricate design of silver lacy flowers made perfect contrast with the exquisite purple and lilac shades of the dress. Her curves where nicely accentuated by the form of the garment. Her multi-colored hair was arranged on a braided messy updo, which gave her a classy yet casual look. She looked simply breathtaking. Everything seemed perfect, except for one thing: today she might win an award that she knew she couldn't have. For the past week, she repeated to herself thousands of times that it was just an award, that she still had the satisfaction of being the director of Clash at Sunset, and nobody could take that away from her. She was immersed in her thoughts when Allison entered the dressing room with a silver flower headpiece that matched Luna's dress perfectly.

"Here, this is just what you needed to look perfect today" carefully, she placed the headband on Luna's head, fixing her hair around the headband. "There, you look gorgeous." she smiled. Addison knew how devastating the situation was for Luna. As a gift to cheer her up, she had designed the dress specially for Luna and made it for that special day.

"Thank you for being here with me Addy, I don't know what I would've done without you. You and Ethan are my support. I love you guys, I really do" she grabbed her friend's hand and gave her an affectionate look.

"Awww, I love you too… C'mon now, smile! It's a big day for all of us! We're at Sundance! Let's enjoy and forget about everything else!"

Luna's face brightened up "You know what? You're so right! I can't be dwelling on this for the rest of my life" She looked at herself in that beautiful dress that her best friend had made just for her and a radiant smile appeared on her face. "Let's just enjoy the moment, let's have fun!"

"That's the spirit! Come on, it's almost time to go through the red carpet. Our first red carpet, the first of many!" Addison squealed. They smiled at each other and walked towards the lobby to meet the rest of the cast.

Hunt was chatting with the executive producer of the main competition of Clash at Sunset: Paradiso, which had won several awards, including the prestigious award "Palme D'Or" award from the Cannes Film Festival. Hunt obtained a copy of Paradiso and had seen it a couple of times. He was shockingly -yet very pleasantly- surprised. The plot was beautifully written, something he hadn't seen in a very long time. The characters were perfectly portraited, the scenery and effects were flawless, it could easily be considered a masterpiece. Compared to it, Clash at Sunset's chances of winning were very slim.

Hunt was trying to arrange a meeting with the director's agent when he laid his eyes on Luna. He obviously had noticed her beauty before, but the way she looked that night left him breathless; the fact that she was his student disappeared completely from his mind and judgment. He admired her beauty from head to toe while he moistened his lips with the expensive champagne he was holding in a crystal flute. The moment she turned her gaze and looked him directly in the eyes, his world seemed to stop: it was just him and her in that room, no one else counted for that fraction of a second. Nothing mattered, nothing but her beautiful and piercing hazel eyes -which he noticed appeared purple due to the color of her dress-. For that moment, it was just the two of them. Gradually, Hunt started to remember who that stunning woman was: the stubborn, childish, multi-colored hair, rebellious student that caused him daily headaches. He instantly knew that he was in deep, deep trouble. Turn around and act normal. You're being ridiculous… you can't be attracted to a student -regardless of how talented and beautiful she is- don't even dare to think about it. Impossible. He thought.

Hunt broke eye contact and continued to chat with the agent, pretending nothing had happened. They exchanged numbers and the agent promised to get back to Hunt's agent as soon as he let the writer/director know of Hunt's interest. Hunt excused himself and walked towards the spot where the cast members were waiting.

"Miss Armstrong, you… and the rest of the cast -he quickly corrected- look very appropriate for the occasion, well done –" Bianca abruptly interrupted as Hunt secretly thanked her for stopping his own imprudence.

"What about me Professor, this is a $20,000 dress! I don't think there's a more appropriate dress for the occasion than mine!" She claimed as she flaunted the dress.

"There are some things in life that no amount of money can buy Miss Stone. I'm confident that you will learn when the right time comes"

"What's that supposed to mean? That doesn't even make sense!"

"I don't presume you're capable of comprehending just yet" He ignored her as he checked his watch and noticed the time. "It's almost time to go through the red carpet. Please remember what we've discussed about modeling to the cameras and the interviews. Keep your comments short and neutral, particularly you two" he looked at Luna and Bianca with icy eyes.

"Whatever!" Bianca turned her head in a childish movement as Lance tried to comfort her.

Hunt approached Luna. "Towards the center of the red carpet you and I will be interviewed by several reporters, May Gordon will be among them. Avoid any confrontations or comments about Bianca, keep calm and let me handle the situation. You just need to make the statement regarding the nomination that we discussed"

"Yes, I know how to behave myself. I'm not a child." She hissed.

"We'll see about that. It's time, let's go" A charming, beautiful smile that Luna had never seen before -at least not in person- appeared across his face as he began to walk confidently through the red carpet. Luna felt her stomach twisting as her anxiety began to overwhelm her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and smiled as she followed Hunt.

She tried her best to remain calm and graceful, but the adrenaline she felt rising through her body made it difficult. Breath. Just breathe. She kept repeating herself the same words over and over again as she continued to pose for what appeared to be hundreds of cameras. Hunt slowed down his pace and Luna quickly caught up to him. As they arrived at the center of the red carpet, several reporters agglomerated around them as they shouted garbled questions. Hunt approached one of the reporters, who immediately asked him a question.

"It was an unexpected, yet a very pleasant surprise to hear that one of the freshman students at the prestigious Hollywood University directed one of the main contenders of this year's Sundance Film Festival main award: Clash at Sunset. What's even more surprising is that you produced the entire movie while you co-wrote and even acted as a stunt in some of the scenes of the film. Is this a comeback to the film industry? Will you be directing or acting? Are you leaving your tenure at Hollywood University?"

"Indeed, Clash at Sunset is a movie that is directed by one of our freshman students, Luna Armstrong" Hunt stepped back and placed his hand on the middle of her back, delicately encouraging her to step to the front. She did as he continued to speak. "Just like Miss Armstrong, several Hollywood University's students collaborated in this project, it was a collective effort. We are very excited to share with all of you this outstanding project that has all the elements to become a cult classic"

"What about your comeback? Do you currently have other projects?" Another reporter asked.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but no, I do not plan on producing or directing any films in the future. I'd like to focus my efforts in my current profession, which is teaching. I'm confident you will all agree with me that Hollywood University has plenty of talent-"

Hunt continued to speak, but Luna's concentration vanished when she turned around and saw a familiar face walking at the beginning of red carpet. A handsome young man with a dashing smile that she knew a little too well, shoulder-long brown wavy hair neatly tied in a ponytail and a deep, seductive gaze. He continued walking and posing to the cameras until he noticed her. When their eyes met, Luna's golden skin turned pale. Hunt, who had noticed Luna's distraction, grabbed her arm and gave her a soft nudge; the movement was quick and precise, he didn't want to attract any negative attention from the media.

"Please allow me to introduce publicly the director of Clash at Sunset: Luna Armstrong. Her dedication and commitment towards this production have been outstanding and are greatly appreciated by Hollywood University."

Suddenly all the attention turned to her, and she knew she had to be as sharp-witted as humanly possible. She cleared her throat, smiled and tactfully delivered the speech that Hunt had given her, which she had memorized. She was concise, yet charming. In her statement, she thanked the university for their trust and support. She felt like a parrot that only repeated the words she was told to. She felt like a hypocrite. She felt like she had just betrayed herself.

After the statement, she thanked all the media and the festival for their consideration and graciously stepped back as one of the photographers asked Luna and Hunt to pose together. She hesitantly looked at him, uncertain of what to do next. Hunt smiled and nodded. He moved towards her as she posed by his side. After a few minutes, Hunt noticed that Luna continued to look back, distracted. He whispered to her, annoyed.

"Keep walking, slowly. Whatever you're looking at stop it immediately, smile to the cameras and keep walking" She obeyed and continued to smile and walk towards the end of the red carpet.

As soon as she felt safe from the cameras, she started to walk towards the dressing rooms; Hunt quickly caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"Please, I don't have time to explain. I need to go back to the dressing rooms" Luna pleaded.

"What's this nonsense? You can't be distracted on a red carpet, not even for a second! Hundreds of thousands of eyes are on you! You need to conduct yourself professionally, no matter what happens"

"You don't understand-" she looked back, distressed.

Hunt interrupted. "No, what you don't understand is that you're here representing an entire institution and you will act accordingly" At that moment Hunt's smartphone rang, he saw the screen and added. "I must take this call… Stay here and don't move a muscle! I'll be right back" he commanded as he stepped aside and answered the phone call.

Luna stared at him as he walked away. She turned to the red carpet only to see the young man walking towards her.

"Luna! Hey!" he shouted as Luna turned around ready to leave. Hunt witnessed the interaction while talking on his smartphone at a considerable distance. "Luna, please wait!" he reached for her arm and she immediately stepped back.

"What are you doing here, Guillermo?!" she hissed.

"I thought you knew… Paradiso was nominated for the festival"

"I can't believe you did this, you're a shameless coward!" her voice cracked.

"Listen, I don't want to fight. I just need you to give me a chance to explain. Just one opportunity, that's all I'm asking. The last time I saw you in your farewell party we couldn't talk as I had hoped. Please, just give me a couple of hours so I can explain myself to you, what I did. It's not as bad as you think, it never was"

She sneered as she shortened the distance between them "You've got a lot of nerve appearing out of nowhere wanting to "talk", after everything that happened. After everything you did, just to tell me that "it's not as bad as I think". Ha! You must really think I'm a complete idiot! The last time we saw each other I was very clear, whatever we had, it's lost… forever. No turning back, not after what you did. I just want you to leave me alone" she turned around and he quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her way.

"I… I'm sorry but I can't. I can't be without you, I need you. You don't know what it's like to think about you day and night, it's driving me crazy and-" Suddenly, he was interrupted by Hunt, who approached them cautiously.

"Is there a problem, Miss Armstrong?" Hunt intervened as he observed how the interaction was developing.

"No, everything is ok. Thank you, Professor" she smiled, trying to calm herself.

"The famous Thomas Hunt. It is an incredible honor to meet you. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Guillermo Rivera del Castillo, writer and director of Paradiso" Guillermo extended his hand to greet Hunt.

As soon as Luna heard Guillermo say that last sentence she rolled her eyes, turned around and left in a fast pace. Hunt turned his gaze to her as she exited. He turned back to Guillermo -who appeared to be upset- and raised an eyebrow as he extended his hand to correspond to his previous handshake.

"I had the opportunity to watch your film, Paradiso. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Congratulations on such a remarkable work."

"Thank you. It's a real honor to hear such kind words from you" he smiled smugly.

Hunt narrowed his eyes as he observed the young man. He was very curious about how Guillermo and Luna knew each other. However, he preferred to proceed cautiously. "I spoke to your agent to express my interest in arranging a meeting with you" reaching for his wallet, Hunt took out one of his personal business cards and handed it to Guillermo "If you're interested, don't hesitate in giving me a call. I must excuse myself, my students are waiting for me."

"Of course I will, Mr. Hunt. I'm really looking forward to our next meeting. I will definitely get in touch with you as soon as possible"

"I look forward to our next meeting as well. Excuse me" Hunt nodded his head and walked towards the dressing rooms to look for Luna; her recent interaction with the young man intrigued him, especially after seeing her initial reaction when she noticed him in the red carpet and the way the young director spoke so fondly to her. He could almost say he saw hatred in her eyes and love in his. Luna had a lot of bad qualities that Hunt was well aware of, but being contemptuous wasn't one of them… or so he thought. He was both curious and surprised.

The screening of Clash at Sunset was going to start in about 40 minutes, he still had time to get the answers he wanted. He walked towards the dressing rooms. Without hesitation, he entered the dressing room that was assigned to the cast; as he had anticipated, Luna was inside.

"What was that all about?! What's your problem with the director of Paradise?"

"That's none of your concern" she replied as she wiped a tear. It was obvious she had been crying, but she didn't want Hunt to see her like that. She took a brush and a jar with powdered foundation and started to touch up her makeup.

"It's my concern when the director in question is our main competition"

"It's a long story that belongs in the past. It won't affect Clash at Sunset, I can guarantee you that"

"Until the media gets a hold of the story and your career gets ruined. If you really want to make it in this business you need to start trusting the people who want to help you"  
"…" she remained silent.

"Fine, do whatever you please" Hunt turned on his heel and walked away. I will find out one way or another, he confidently thought.

The debut of Clash at Sunset was a complete success. It was well received by critics and spectators alike with a standing ovation. After both movies' screenings, Paradise and Clash at Sunset positioned themselves as the festival's favorites. The moment of the announcement for the Directing Award was getting closer. Addy took Luna's hand as she noticed her nervousness and gave her an encouraging smile. Luna smiled back to her friend. Hunt – who decided to sit on the other side of the row, as far away from Luna as possible – noticed the interaction between the two friends and couldn't help but wonder what was her relationship with Paradiso's director. Hunt noticed than every now and then Guillermo would gaze intently at her, while she completely ignored him as if he didn't exist. For the past several months they had worked together, she demonstrated to be trustworthy and brutally honest. Yes, she was very stubborn and hard-headed, but she was also very dependable, loyal and compassionate. Even with things that got her in so much trouble, never did she tried to hide anything or lie to him. What could that young man possibly have done to deserve such detestation from her? He had to admit that he was very, very curious to find out the answer to that question.

The moment for the announcement had finally arrived. "And the winner of Sundance Festival Directing Award is… Luna Armstrong, in behalf of Hollywood U for the movie Clash at Sunset!" as soon as she heard her name she stood up from her chair, a radiant smile on her lips; she seemed genuinely elated. She hugged her friends as she walked towards the stage. She greeted Harrison Byrd - who was the awards' host and who had recently become a good friend of Luna- with a hug, he smiled and handed the award over to her. As she wrapped her hands around it, she glanced at it with emotion and grabbed the microphone.

"As some of you may know, I'm currently a student at Hollywood U and I feel incredibly proud and honored to accept this prestigious award on their behalf. However, I MUST acknowledge and recognize all the hard work and all the talented people behind this production. To all the actors, crew, stunts, extras, producers, agents, screenwriters and investors: thank you for believing in this project. Clash at Sunset is a success thanks to you. And of course, the man that made it all possible: Thomas Hunt. Thank you, professor, for teaching us the most valuable of lessons: to believe in ourselves. This is for you!" Hunt immediately detected a very subtle hint of sarcasm in her voice, yet he knew all cameras would be on him and he remained calm, wearing a confident smile. She smirked in triumph as she held the award in the air and graciously walked down the stairs to her seat.

After a small intermission, the awards ceremony continued. "Now, the moment we all have been waiting for! The US Grand Jury Prize for the best picture!" Harrison winked at the camera as he opened the white envelope. "The prize goes to… Paradiso! Receiving the award, the director and writer Guillermo Rivera Del Castillo!" The young man stood and hugged his companions, as he proceeded to walk to the main stage.

Hunt turned his gaze to see Luna's reaction. She smiled and applauded gracefully, but something in her eyes made him think she wasn't sincere.


	17. (17) Close to you

Thomas grabbed the glass, bringing the bold, amber liquid to his lips. It had been a very long day, and socializing wasn't something he particularly enjoyed. In his opinion, people could be obnoxious, deceitful and ignorant. The best thing to do is just ignore or avoid them. He preferred solitude over social conventionalisms, that was one of the main reasons he was still single: the perfect woman did not exist. He preferred to be alone than to settle for anything less than perfection. He was doomed to perpetual loneliness and he felt comfortable with that future. He had witnessed firsthand the devastation a loveless marriage can bring to not only the couple, but everybody around them. That was the story of his life up until Yvonne. She was the first woman to show him life in a unique and different way, she gave him a new perspective. He felt truly grateful for that, as a small smile appeared on his face without him noticing.

Suddenly, a loud knock on the door of the hotel room brought him abruptly back to reality. He gave his clock a quick glance, noticing the time. 1:46 am. The awards ceremony finished a little before 12. He made sure to be as brief as possible in his conversations, he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. He rolled his eyes as he placed the glass on the desk. He peeked through the peephole and was surprised to see Luna on the other side. He raised an eyebrow as he opened the door in a quick movement.

"Armstrong, what are you doing here?" he asked, both surprised and confused.

"To top off this already horrible day, I have bad news for you, buddy" she was clearly drunk. She poked his chest with her index finger as she passed him by, entering the room without asking for permission, without hesitations. "Stone just stole twenty-five million dollars from us" She grabbed the whiskey glass that Hunt had just served moments ago and drank the entire content in one gulp.

"What are you talking about? What do you think you're doing? Are you inebriated?!" Hunt asked confused.

"Yup, I think I am! Now, please allow me to fill you in on the details. When Stone gave us the 15 million we needed for Clash at Sunset, we signed a contract. Well, apparently there is a clause that we didn't notice at the time in which we are entitled to twenty percent of the movie's gross earnings, which the bastard redefined as post-marketing, post-tax, non-merchandise and non-resale. Ha! Can you believe that? We're completely and totally screwed!" Luna laughed, took the whiskey bottle that was next to the desk and poured its contents into a second glass. Hunt noticed that her hands were shaking and her voice had a higher pitch than normal.

"Ok… Take a seat, take a deep breath and explain to me why this so funny to you"

"It's funny because I'm a complete moron! I keep on making one mistake after another and I don't know how to stop. Isn't that funny?" she laughed as she took a sip of her drink.

"You need you to send me a copy of that contract to my e-mail"

"Your wish is my command… Done!" she moved her arms as if she had a magic wand and just performed some kind of magic trick.

He went into the adjoining room to check his cellphone, which was on top of the nightstand in the bedroom. He opened his email app and saw Luna's email, titled "Here's the stupid contract". He also noticed the time the email was sent, about 30 minutes before.

"I'm pretty sure there's something that can be done. But Luna, what were you thinking?! There's a reason why freshman students don't do projects this size. On the other side, I must admit this is partially my fault. I never asked about the finances mainly because I was fully engaged with the creative aspects of the production" his voice softened as he pondered.

Luna's mouth agape in surprise as she heard those words. First, hearing her name coming from his lips was both weird and wonderful. He always called her by her last name, which she was already accustomed to; but this time it felt like he was talking to her as an equal rather than him being her superior. Secondly, he was taking responsibility for something, which she thought was almost impossible. Has she been misreading him all this time?

"I will read the contract and talk it out with the University's lawyers. I'm pretty sure there must be some loophole in this, especially since the production was attributed to the university and not to yourself, you had no legal right to make any financial decisions over the production" He took Luna's glass - the one that she stole from him minutes ago – and poured more whiskey. He offered the glass to her and she, although surprised, didn't hesitate in accepting it.

"Are you OK? You seem suspiciously nice… like, creepy nice" she narrowed her eyes "Are you like, dying or something? I thought you'd be furious about this situation"

"There are two types of people in this world, Luna: the ones that matter and the ones that don't. For me, nobody matters when you first meet them. It's up to each person to prove their worth and make themselves matter. Today, you did that. You proved that you are capable of achieving big things. And please, don't misinterpret my words, you still have a long way to go. But this time, you proved your worth and you have gained a little bit of my respect. There is nothing wrong in accepting that you changed your mind and I changed mine about you, congratulations" He tilted his glass and took a generous gulp. After a short break, he continued: "Regarding Stone's situation, I think you learned your lesson as well as he will. Hollywood is filled with people like him, get used to that fact and learn to defend yourself".

"I- I don't know what to say… your approval means a lot to me. I know I give you trouble most of the time, but I do admire and respect you. I know we're not equals yet, but one day I aspire to call you a colleague. Thank you for this opportunity, I will not let you down" She smiled and took a sip of the liquid "Wait… you seem a little… are you drunk, too?" Luna furrowed her brow as she noticed the whiskey bottle was almost empty.

"I wouldn't say drunk is the correct term… I prefer relaxed" Hunt took another sip from his glass.

"I know what drunk is, I've seen you drunk before, and you are drunk! This is awesome!" Luna beamed as she finished the contents in one gulp, again. "Drunk Hunt is so fun! We're running kind of low… got any more?"

Her radiant smile cheered him up in a way that he hadn't felt in a very long time. He gave her a sly smile as he got up from his seat and walked towards a cabinet next to a big window in the living room of his hotel room. He opened one of the cabinet's shelves and took a bottle of champagne a producer had given him earlier that day as a gift. The silver-grey bottle looked sophisticated and expensive. When he received it, he decided to save it for a special occasion. However, in that moment no other time seemed better than the present.

"As a matter of fact, I do" He smiled while holding the elegant bottle.

"Wow… what is that?" Luna was curious, she had never seen such an expensive looking bottle before.

"Armand De Brignac. It's decent champagne"

"Decent?! Seriously? You're such a snob!" Luna scoffed.

"Ha! If you find it that snobbish you don't have to drink it" He retorted as he began to open the bottle.

"Are you crazy? Of course I want some of that! This might be my only chance to taste something that expensive!"

"If you continue in this environment you'll see that that's not the case. Hollywood is filled with "snobs", so that will be one more thing to get used to if you want to be part of Hollywood"

"I understand that… but I just don't think that you must become someone else to be successful in Hollywood. A person can be genuine and successful."

Hunt scoffed. "Such a dreamer… please make yourself a favor and forget everything you just said. There is nothing wrong with change. Hollywood will change you, that is a fact. Don't fight change, embrace it."

Hunt opens the bottle, reaches for a wine glass and serves Luna a serving of the bubbly, luxurious liquid. She remains quiet as she accepts the glass and brings it to her red lips.

"Luna, just for today I'm willing to bend my rules a little bit and celebrate this occasion with you, not my student, but with the director of an excellent production. You really left quite an impression on several very important people out there" he laid back on the comfortable leather couch.

"I hope it was a good one. I feel that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I'm just happy for the chance to establish connections" suddenly, she noticed how big and classy Hunt's suite was. "Wow you surely got an upgrade… our room is one of the basic ones, no living room, no two TVs… and no Bluetooth stereo, for sure." she pointed towards the fancy stereo in the wall as she walked towards it "Is this USB yours?" she asked as she searched for the power button.

Hunt grabbed a small control on top of the cabinet and turned the stereo on. A slow and relaxing electronic song started to play.

"What?! This is "Washed Out", I love this guy! Why do you have this kind music?" she was shocked to hear such music coming from someone like Hunt.

"What do you mean why do I have this kind music? I happen to enjoy Chillwave music very much. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well… I always imagined you more of a Frank Sinatra type of guy"

"Ha! I do enjoy a lot of different music genres, but how old do you think I am?" He laughed.

"I don't know, I'm just very surprised. I never in a million years thought you'd like this type of music which happens to be one of my favorites" she beamed as she searched through the folders of the USB in the touchscreen display on the stereo. "You have a very remarkable collection here! I must say, I'm very impressed"

Luna and Hunt continued to talk about different types of music and different bands. They discussed the evolution of Rock music along with its subgenres and the importance of Blues and Jazz to this musical movement. Luna was genuinely dumbfounded by Hunt's amount of knowledge on the topic. She remembered one time when Hunt went to her dorm for the first time. He was looking for her so they could go meet up with some potential investors, the very next day after she had signed the contract with Stone. She was wearing a Led Zeppelin hoodie, and as soon as he saw it he asked her about it, clearly and sincerely surprised. She didn't give it much thought at the moment, given the circumstances they were going through. However, this time it made sense, kind of. She felt truly passionate about Rock music and its subgenres, it was refreshing and exciting to know someone who could actually teach her something about the topic. They focused so much on other areas that music was something they hardly discussed. As the night progressed, they ended up sitting next to each other on a couch close to the stereo. It was late, and they did not what to disturb other guests with loud music.

"I agree with you that Joy Division is the root of post-punk music, but I find it difficult to agree that New Order symbolizes the beginning of electronic dance music. New Order was the product of Ian Curtis' suicide and a product of its time, but it doesn't define what electronic music came to be afterward"

"Both bands were completely representative of their time! If it weren't for them, Indie music would be much different than what it is now, we owe so much to these bands and I feel that they are underrated"

"Underrated? Maybe… but they were NOT the complete representatives of both movements just by themselves. You need to study your music, Armstrong" Hunt smirked as she looked over the music library in the stereo's screen.

"Whatever, Hunt. I know I'm right on this one. You're just too hardheaded to recognize that your student, who wasn't even born at the time, knows more about music you danced to in High School" she smirked back.

Hunt sat back and stared at Luna for a while, analyzing her while she searched ecstatically through his music collection. She seemed so confident, secure and relaxed… it was like looking at her for the first time. He did not recognize her as his student, that fact didn't even cross his mind. Instinctively, he shortened the distance between them with the excuse of searching for a particular song as she reached for her glass. He quickly searched through the folders and shuffled an artist he had been listing to for the past months. "Blindside Kiss" began to play through the speakers. The short distance became more than evident for both, but they remained in their positions. Hunt kept his gaze locked on her face, studying every inch of her face while she listened to the music nonchalantly and moistened her lips with the bubbly liquid. She could feel his eyes wandering her face… and she felt more alive than ever. She felt nervous, obviously. After all, Thomas Hunt was accustomed to being the center of attention, not to give it; and to receive the attention of Thomas Hunt was both nerve breaking and exhilarating. She felt overwhelmingly powerful knowing that she had every inch of his attention, she could feel it like liquid fire passing through her veins. He noticed how her cheeks started to acquire a pinkish shade as she started to blush. She felt the blush creeping up her face and her eyes ended up meeting his. Their lips were mere inches away, he could feel her warm and sweet breath touching his skin, and he felt the overwhelming need to feel her lips. Suddenly he realized…

"You need to leave…" Hunt stood up in a quick movement, putting his glass on the table and suddenly stopping the music.

"Wh- What?! Are you Ok? I- " Hunt's reaction took her aback.

"Leave. NOW" Hunt demanded in a harsh tone.

"Ok… I'll leave… but, are you Ok? Can I at least ask you wha-"

"NOW!" Hunt rushed towards the door, opening it with a determined look.

She stood up, left her half-empty glass next to Hunt's, turned around and walked straight towards the exit. As she approached the door, she stopped next to him and declared without looking at him directly: "This isn't over…". She closed the door behind her. Hunt felt like his world collapsed, crushing him. What had happened? Was he completely insane? How could he allow such feelings to overcome his authority, his position… his self-control? "It would be foolish to deny her obvious beauty. She's quick-witted, intelligent and brilliant… it is only natural to feel attraction towards someone like that. But how could I have forgotten that she is my STUDENT! This is completely UNETHICAL… This won't happen" He sighed, opened his journal and started a new entry, which he named "Luna".

Three weeks had passed since the hotel incident. She tried to approach Hunt on different occasions regarding that night, but all she ever got was excuses and evasion on his part. He flatly refused to speak of anything else other than school work, always avoiding being alone with her for more than 5 seconds. She started to wonder if maybe she felt something that night that just wasn't there, something that wasn't reciprocated. But how could something that intense be just an illusion? They almost kissed, for God sake! How can you approach someone that close and not be attracted to them? She couldn't stop thinking about how his eyes made her feel, how alive she felt. It was a completely new emotion, something far different from all she had previously felt, even with Guillermo. It was beginning to turn into an obsession, something that she just had to confirm or debunk. She decided to keep this to herself, not even Addy knew about it even though she had her suspicions that something weird had happened that night. While in Hunt's class one Friday afternoon, she decided that it was time to confront him once and for all, and in order to do that she had to catch his attention, no matter the cost or consequences.

"…and that is why we're discussing the decline of the romantic comedy, a genre that relies all too often on an unbelievable formula. How often have you seen the two lead characters spend most of a movie fighting with each other… only to end up together in the end because of some ill-established passion? Real love is nothing like that-" Suddenly, he was interrupted by a soft yet confident voice.

"I apologize Professor, but I must disagree with you" Luna stated, boldly.

"Oh, really? How so, Armstrong?" he crossed his arms in front of him and looked at her, defiantly.

"Well, although I agree with you in the sense that rom-coms lack realism, I must disagree with the notion that all rivalries might end up in some sort of ill-established passion. Rom-coms appeal to this idea too often, but that is for a reason. If you're going to deny any belief in which you do not agree, you need to refute it using actual reasons, not just based on your opinions"

An awkward silence overpowered the entire room, while both Hunt and Luna gazed at each other defiantly.

"Very good Mrs. Armstrong… Since you seem to have such a great understanding of the topic, you're required to write a 10-page essay explaining and supporting your hypothesis. I expect to have it in my desk by next class. As I was saying- "

As he proceeded with the rest of the class, she interrupted him again. "Don't you think that's a little too harsh just for exteriorizing an opinion? I wonder if everybody here would get that same treatment just for disagreeing with the teacher" Luna crossed her arms as she sat straight.

"I treat all my students equally and fairly, and if you're insinuating the opposite I must advise you to stop immediately before you get yourself into more trouble" he warned.

"I'm not insinuating, I think that my position was pretty clear: you're punishing me just because I disagreed with you"

Addy and the rest of the class were wide-eyed and astonished by the situation. It was unprecedented for any student to challenge Hunt in that manner. Addy tried to whisper something to her and put some sense into her, but Hunt's commanding voice fulfilled the entire room.

"In conclusion, once a genre full of heart, the majority of romantic comedies have descended into a farce bereft of true emotion. Class dismissed. Except for Armstrong. Come see me. We need to talk"

As the students exited the classroom, Bianca approached Luna's desk. "Somebody's in trouble… Good luck getting out of this one!" she laughed as the rest of her entourage followed her close behind. Luna rolled her eyes as she gathered her belongings.

"Luna, what's the matter with you? What happened?" Addy asked, worried.

"You saw how he treated me first! He punished me for having an opinion and questioning his!"

"Yeah, but that's classic Hunt. He's been worse than that and you did not get mad back then"

"Well, I got mad now and I don't think it's fair"

"Are you going to be okay? I'll wait for you outside"

"No Addy, I'll meet you back in the dorm later, don't worry about me, I'll be just fine!"

"Okay, I hope you're not in too much trouble… see you at home!"

Luna nodded as she walked towards Hunt's desk with a smirk on her lips. Addy exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"Professor" Luna acknowledged him, tilting her head.

"What is your problem, Armstrong?"

"You are… ever since that night at Sundance you've changed completely, we can't even have a rational conversation without you shutting me down or apprehending me. What happened that night?" Luna asked with determination.

"Nothing happened that night! I gave you the trust of a colleague, that was a mistake and I realized it. You are my student, NOTHING ELSE! Please start acting as one, next time I will not be as forgiving… and I was serious about that essay, I expect it on my desk at the beginning of next class"

"I still think that you are punishing me just because I disagreed with you. If that wasn't the case, why were you so quick to dismiss me and punish me?"

"One more insinuation that I have something personal against you and I will redirect this matter to the Dean. Again, I am your teacher and I expect respect and obedience. Maybe that Sundance award got to your head and you think you are better than your classmates and you deserve some kind of special consideration, but you are terribly mistaken. You are as common as they come, so please just understand your place and continue your studies"

Luna observed Hunt for a moment, and his body language did not reflect on his words. He seemed nervous and uncomfortable, which was very unlikely of him. She knew that he was pretty much set on his ideas and there was nothing she could do… or was there? She noticed a flyer on his desk.

"Fair enough. You will have the essay on your desk next class"

"That was all, you are dismissed" he commanded as he concentrated on some papers in front of him.

"Big plans for the weekend, huh?" she asked casually.

"Huh?" Hunt was taken aback by the question.

Luna took the flyer from Hunt's desk. "5th Annual Los Angeles Charity Masquerade… A masquerade ball, huh? That sound like so much fun!"

He placed his papers aside and glared up at her "Only someone delusional refers to a masquerade ball as a fun event. It is merely an obligation"

"So, no date, huh?"

"A date would require me to spend the entire evening there. I can't imagine anything worse. I'll be leaving as soon as I've made my donation to the cause… I don't know why I'm discussing this with you! You're dismissed. Now, please leave"

"As you wish…" she smiled and left the classroom. Thomas felt relieved as soon as she was gone. Luna reached for her smartphone as soon as she was out of the classroom. She quickly pulled up the website for the masquerade ball and found out that there were still tickets available. "5,000 dollars?! I understand that it is a charity masquerade, but geesh, that's just too much money. I'm not sure if I can afford it, since Clash at Sunset I'm kind of broke to be wasting money like this… Fuck it! I MUST find out… This better be worth it!", she thought as she pressed the PURCHASE button.


End file.
